Donald Trump sharply criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of nearly all federal death row inmates. Trump’s comments come as Biden prepares to leave office, with Trump set to succeed him as president.
On Monday, Biden announced the commutation of 37 death sentences to life imprisonment without parole. The move affects individuals convicted of various crimes, including murdering fellow inmates, committing murders during bank robberies, and killing a prison guard.
“Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” Trump said on Truth Social. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!”
Biden had previously imposed a moratorium on the federal death penalty and cited his personal opposition to the practice as the motivation for his decision. “Guided by my conscience and my experience… I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” Biden said Monday.
Three inmates were excluded from the commutations: one of the Boston Marathon bombers, a gunman who killed 11 Jewish worshippers in 2018, and a white supremacist who murdered nine Black churchgoers in 2015. Biden explained his decision, stating, “I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.”
Biden’s decision comes amid speculation that Trump’s administration will resume federal executions after Biden’s moratorium.
