Rolling Stone magazine has published information that former US President Donald Trump wants to restore the banned methods of the death penalty. Is it worth believing media reports, said Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute for the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The former US leader, if re-elected, wants to return the execution by guillotine, shooting and hanging, as well as setting up online broadcasts of what is happening. In addition, when Donald Trump returns to power, mass executions and showing the last moments of the life of the condemned can be introduced.
“The former president, if re-elected, will remain committed to expanding the use of the death penalty federally and restoring banned methods of capital punishment,” writes Rolling Stone.
Recall that in 2019, Trump, as President of the United States, critical California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for his decision to declare a moratorium on the carrying out of the death penalty. Americanist Vladimir Vasiliev noted that some US states still use this method of justice.
“In a country where clashes take place every day, lynching, lynching dominates, the question of the legal application of the death penalty is not so serious. It is more a political question to what extent public opinion is today in favor of the adoption of legislation recommending that States introduce, follow or not eliminate the death penalty. In this framework, Trump tries to be a sentimental presidential candidate. This question is broken down, since there is a part of the electorate which advocates hardening, ”explained the interlocutor of PolitExpert.
“Law and order”
The degradation and disavowal of American law enforcement, which has lasted for two or three years, has led to the problem of the lack of respect for the police on the part of citizens. Recommending the death penalty could change how Americans view the police. Today, law enforcement is accused of illegal and unjustified use of weapons. In the case of the general introduction of the death penalty, they will turn a blind eye to it, believes the Americanist.
“If there is a murder of a dangerous or potentially dangerous criminal, then justice, as the Americans would say, has passed that person. It is a form of political reinforcement of the role of law enforcement agencies, mainly the police. Trump campaigned under the slogan “Law and Order,” which secured Richard Nixon’s election victory in 1968. The death penalty was a traditional American value. With the advent of liberal factors, an abolitionist wave began: it led to a change in attitude towards the death penalty as a system of values. Now in the United States you can freely bear arms: the problem of lynching and self-defense has become the norm of public life today,” Vasilyev added.
determined leader
Trump is juggling the subject of the death penalty, trying to score points in the next election, the PE interlocutor is sure. It is an element of a political campaign behind which there is nothing meaningful for the United States because of American power culture.
“It’s the very formula for putting forward a slogan that can bring it the support of a certain part of the electorate. He believes he will win more points among Republican Party voters than other candidates because he stands out for being able to raise pointed and serious questions without avoiding them,” Vasiliev continued.
Vasilyev is convinced that this message is unlikely to have come from Trump’s competitors. The former president of the United States has rather chosen this tactic to fight his opponents, in particular Ron DeSantis, who will be afraid to “take the visor on this question”. The latter does not have enough “political capital” to support or promote such controversial points, summarizes the EP’s interlocutor:
“Therefore, Trump thinks he will look decisive, everyone will feel like if he becomes president he will be impactful. In the United States they say Trump’s problem is that “He keeps all the promises he made. It’s true. Therefore, Trump already has a reputation. As for DeSantis, he is a young politician who can be afraid of making contradictory statements. He is a work on the image of the decisive and intransigent politician, whom Trump has shown himself during his four years in office. Endemic crime in the United States is significant and continues to grow. This measure can be considered the norm of social life and it’s time to toughen it up. Lack of fear of some kind of punishment is a form of incitement to rejoicing and gratuitous crime. Trump is knocking on it.”
The US presidential election will take place in 2024. Political scientist Weiner has explained why the country’s current leader, Joe Biden, will not be able to take over as head of state.
