Donald Trump backtracks on crime policy: ‘She would be killed under your plan’
Brady Knox
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Former President Donald Trump backtracked on parts of his idea to institute the death penalty for all drug dealers when he was confronted with the possibility of someone he freed being executed.
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, Trump elaborated on his plans to institute the death penalty for all drug dealers, saying that it was the only way to stop the drug epidemic and pointing to China and Singapore as successful examples. Soon after, he was defending his First Step Act against critics, pointing to former drug dealer Alice Johnson as a successful case. Baier interjected and pointed out that she would be executed under his plan.
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“I focused on nonviolent crime,” Trump said. “As an example, a woman who you know very well, Alice Johnson, she was in jail.” Trump said. “She was on a telephone call, and they were involved in selling marijuana. Mostly marijuana. And she got like 50 years in jail.”
“But she would be killed under your plan,” Baier interjected.
“Huh?” Trump responded.
“As a drug dealer,” the Fox News host clarified, referring to Trump’s stated plan to execute all drug dealers.
“No, no, no. Oh, under that? It would depend on the severity,” Trump said.
“She is technically a former drug dealer,” Baier continued. “She had a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring.”
The former president went back and forth between two explanations. He said Johnson would not have dealt drugs if harsher penalties were in place beforehand, and he said the punishment would only apply after a certain date.
“She wouldn’t be killed. Start as of now. So you wouldn’t go to the past—” Trump said.
“No, I know, but your policy,” Baier interjected while laughing.
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“Yeah. But she wouldn’t have done it if it was the death penalty,” Trump responded. “In other words, if it were the death penalty, she wouldn’t have been on that phone call.”
Trump’s comments seemed to muddy the waters regarding his plan to execute all drug dealers.