Former President Donald Trump was confronted during an interview this week about his past policies and actions as president after he said that the only way the U.S. could overcome its drug problem was by executing drug dealers.
Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier during an interview that aired on Tuesday that the death penalty was “the only way you’re gonna stop” the drug crisis.
Baier then highlighted how Trump supported criminal justice reforms like the First Step Act after listening to activists like celebrity Kim Kardashian.
“Critics of that law point out that 13,500 people have been released, about 12% of them have committed serious crimes after that,” Baier said. “Joel Francisco was serving a life sentence for selling crack cocaine. He was released in 2019, allegedly stabbing a man to death. Rearrested. Paul Moore, drug trafficker, fatally shot a rival, received a reduced sentence.”
Trump responded by saying that he focused on pardoning those convicted of “non-violent crime,” like Alice Johnson, who was sentenced to decades in prison after being convicted of cocaine trafficking.
“But she’d be killed under your plan,” Baier responded, noting that she would be executed under Trump’s proposal to kill drug dealers.
“Huh?” Trump responded.
“As a drug dealer-” Baier said.
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“No, no. No. Under my, oh, under that?” Trump said. “Uhh, it would depend on the severity.”
“She’s technically a former drug dealer,” Baier noted. “She had multi-million dollar cocaine ring.”
“She can’t do it, ok? By the way, if that was there, she wouldn’t be killed, it would start as of now,” Trump said.
Baier chuckled and noted that Johnson would have been killed under Trump’s proposed policy.
“Starting now,” Trump said. “But she wouldn’t have done it if it was death penalty. In other words, if it was death penalty, she wouldn’t have been on that phone call. She wouldn’t have been a dealer.”
WATCH:
Former President Donald Trump says that the only way to stop the drug problem in the U.S. is to execute drug dealers.
Bret Baier then notes that Trump’s “First Step Act” has led to the release of convicted drug dealers and that Trump pardoned drug dealers. pic.twitter.com/ofCKlnOmBq
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) June 21, 2023