A spokesperson for President-elect Trump has criticized President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row, calling it a “slap in the face” to the victims, their families, and their loved ones. Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, issued a statement saying that these individuals are “among the worst killers in the world” and that President Trump stands for the rule of law.
Social media erupted with reactions to the news, with many Republican lawmakers echoing the same sentiments. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., wrote on X that Biden’s decision is a “slap in the face to the victims and to the families of the victims that thought justice was going to be served.”
Biden, on the other hand, believes the federal death penalty should only be imposed for acts of terrorism and hate-motivated killings. The White House announced that he is commuting the death sentences to life without the possibility of parole on Monday, citing a moratorium on federal executions and concern about the unequal application of the death penalty.
Trump has taken a tough stance on the death penalty, having suggested that drug dealers should be eligible for the ultimate punishment. In contrast, Biden has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors.
The three federal inmates whose death sentences were not commuted include Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was involved in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
