Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump announces his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Reuters/Carlos Barria

US President Donald Trump has reportedly suggested that his country must discuss having drug dealers face the death penalty. During an event held to support Republican Rick Saccone, Trump said that the US criminal justice system is too soft on drugs and that toughness is the only way to solve the drug problem.

"You kill 5000 people with drugs because you're smuggling them in and you are making a lot of money and people are dying and they don't even put you in jail," Trump said. The Straits Times reports him as saying that the way to solve the drug problem is through toughness.

The POTUS shared that he got the idea from his Singaporean and Chinese counterparts. When he asked the prime minister of Singapore if his country has a drug problem, he replied that they have a zero-tolerance policy. A source who has spoken to the POTUS about the subject said Trump recounted the time when he talked to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, reports MSN.

"Some countries have a very, very tough penalty- the ultimate penalty and by the way, they have much less of a drug problem than we do,” the US leader added. Trump admitted that he is not certain whether the United States is ready for such penalty, but he thinks it is a discussion to start thinking about. He maintained that drug dealers destroy families.

Trump also told western Pennsylvania voters that his new tariffs are saving the steel industry. The POTUS said a lot of steel mills are now opening up. He veered off into other topics, including the news media and his own election victory. He then called NBC News anchor Chuck Todd a "sleeping son of a bitch.” He also talked about his decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, suggesting that it is something his predecessors could not do.

Amid warnings from critics who argue that the two nations will be in a worse position than before if talks go poorly, CIA director Mike Pompeo defended Trump’s decision, saying that the POTUS understands the risks and that no sitting POTUS has ever met a North Korean leader. Trump reportedly accepted the offer to meet with Kim when it was relayed by South Korean envoys last week.

It is not the first time that the president appeared to suggest changes in punishing drug dealers. The Washington Post has earlier reported that the Trump administration was considering policy changes to allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

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