President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that seeks to eliminate cashless bail for those arrested in Washington D.C., while another order aims to end the policy across the country.
Trump’s order addressing D.C. declares that it is imperative that his administration take measures to “end cashless bail policies and ensure the pretrial detention of any criminal suspect who threatens public safety.” The move follows Trump increasing the presence of law enforcement in the area.
“Washington, D.C .is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on August 8. “President Trump is committed to making our nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.”
In his order addressing cashless bail nationwide, Trump said that individuals released without bail “further endanger law-abiding, hard-working Americans because they know our laws will not be enforced,” declaring that he will “require commonsense policies that protect Americans’ safety and well-being by incarcerating individuals who are known threats.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of signing the orders, President Trump said “big crime” in the United States began after cashless bail was introduced.
“Somebody kills somebody, they go in, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ no cash, come back in a couple months, ‘we’ll give you a trial,'” Trump said, condemning the practice. “You never see the person again. They kill people, and they get out. Cashless bail, they thought it was discriminatory to make people put up money because they just killed three people lying on the street.”
