US President Donald Trump has said he plans to seek the death penalty for suspected murderers in Washington DC.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said that the death penalty would be a “preventative” measure.

Hundreds of National Guard and federal law enforcement officers have been deployed to the US capital to combat what Trump has previously described as “complete and total lawlessness” in the city - a strategy he has hinted could be repeated in Chicago and other cities.

Washington’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, has rejected the president’s claims about crime, which has fallen in the city since spiking in 2023.

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,” Trump told reporters and cabinet members. “And that’s a very strong preventative.”