President Donald Trump held a more than three-hour Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which was once again open to the press.
Trump and his administration discussed many hot-button issues such as illegal immigration, the deployment of federal troops, and the funding of wars abroad.
Death Penalty in DC
Trump said during the Cabinet meeting that he wants to institute the death penalty in Washington, D.C., for anyone who commits murder."If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we're going to be seeking the death penalty, and that's a very strong preventative, and everybody that's heard it agrees with it," Trump said.
The president acknowledged the country may not be ready for it, but said “we have no choice.”
He also invited NTD Reporter Iris Tao to share her story about being mugged in broad daylight on her way to work in the nation’s capital, highlighting crime in the city.
Trump earlier this month deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital and federalized the D.C. police force.
The Fed
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on Trump’s handling of the Federal Reserve.“The Federal Reserve’s independence comes from a political arrangement between itself and the American public,” Bessent said. “Having the public’s trust is the only thing that gives it credibility. And you, sir, are restoring trust to the government.”
Bessent’s comments come after Trump late Monday moved to fire Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook over allegations of fraud related to mortgages she took out in 2021.
"We need people that are 100 percent above board—and it doesn't seem like she was," Trump added.
Cook’s attorney has vowed to fight Trump in court.
"His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action," Cook's lawyer, Washington attorney Abbe Lowell, said in a statement.
Autism Study: Results Coming Soon
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Trump during the Cabinet meeting that his department in September would announce "interventions" that are believed to cause autism.His comments come after he announced in April that his department would undertake a major effort to determine what causes the developmental disorder.
Kennedy has come under fire for being accused of blaming vaccines on autism, scrutiny he says was an unfair mischaracterization of his comments.
Trump, during the Cabinet meeting, suggested there has to be “something artificially causing this,” suggesting the reason may already be known without explaining further.
Nobel Peace Prize
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff advocated for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to mediate conflicts around the world.Witkoff credited Trump and his team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for their diplomacy in international affairs.
“There’s only one thing I wish for: That that Nobel committee finally gets its act together and realizes that you are the single finest candidate since the Nobel Peace—this Nobel award was ever talked about—to receive that reward.”
Witkoff confirmed that the administration is currently negotiating multiple entries into the Abraham Peace Accord. He added that Trump’s “peace through strength” strategy is working and described the president’s efforts as “game-changing.”
Trump’s rival and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently said she would nominate the president herself if he is successful in resolving the conflict between Ukraine and Russia without Kyiv being forced to give up territory.