President Donald Trump said Monday he will instruct the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother is killed.
During a brief phone interview with the New York Post, Trump warned that those responsible for the abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie must release her unharmed or face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences.
“If she is killed, I will be instructing the Department of Justice to seek the death penalty,” Trump told the Post, underscoring his administration’s hard-line stance on violent crime.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1.
The case has drawn national attention and prompted a massive multi-agency investigation involving local law enforcement and federal authorities.
Trump’s comments signal that the White House is prepared to pursue federal charges in the case, which is common in high-profile kidnappings, particularly when interstate activity or federal statutes are involved.
Arizona has the death penalty, though executions have been infrequent in recent years. Of the 109 inmates currently on Arizona’s death row, many have been there for decades.
The state has carried out just two executions since 2022, following a nearly two-year pause ordered by the Democrat-led state government. That pause was lifted in late 2024.
At the federal level, the use of capital punishment was significantly curtailed under former President Joe Biden, who commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row.
The Trump administration has signaled it plans to move those inmates to a federal supermax facility to serve out their sentences under strict conditions.
Trump has long advocated for tougher penalties in cases involving violent offenders, particularly crimes against children and the elderly.
His remarks Monday reinforce that message, as the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance continues.
Law enforcement officials have not yet announced any arrests, but authorities have released surveillance images and are pursuing multiple leads.
