Some Republican contenders for their party's 2024 presidential nomination have turned to a blunt policy proposal to tamp down on crime: killing criminals. Crime, meanwhile, is a greater concern for voters than it has been in previous elections, even as crime trends are mixed. The former president has reiterated previous calls for drug dealers to receive the death penalty, despite legal scholars questioning its constitutionality. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court holds that the application of the death penalty for crimes that do not result in the death of the victim is generally unconstitutional. In 2008, the court left open the possibility of the death penalty for "drug kingpin activity," though it has never been applied.

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Persons: Donald Trump, Jonathan Ernst, Trump, Doug Heye, David Kochel, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, kingpins, Mike Pence, Pence, Bryan Griffin, they're, Thomas Zeitzoff, Gram Slattery, Nathan Layne, Tim Reid, Ross Colvin, Howard Goller Organizations: Des Moines, Iowa State Fairgrounds, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Federal Bureau of, Reuters, Trump, U.S, Supreme, American University, Thomson Locations: U.S, Des Moines , Iowa, Mexico, United States, California, Florida, America, Indiana, Washington, Wilton , Connecticut, Los Angeles