Trump Threatens Nancy Guthrie’s Kidnappers With Death Penalty as Savannah Confesses Whether She ‘Still Has Hope’ Her Mom Is Alive
StyleCaster Editors
US President Donald Trump has been a little more involved in the media cycle regarding the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy, than one would perhaps expect him to be. Guthrie has, after all, been critical of the President before, and Trump himself has had some choice words to say about Guthrie in the past. But these days, the President seems to be throwing all his power into helping find Guthrie.
That includes threatening consequences if she’s not found. In a phone interview with the New York Post on Monday, Feb. 16, Trump said the kidnappers could face “very, very severe — the most severe” consequences if she is found dead.
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
When asked to clarify if he meant the death penalty, Trump said, per the Post, “The most, yeah — that’s true.”
Trump also posted on Truth Social about the latest in the case as he was watching Fox News on Monday, February 16. “Nicole Parker, formerly of the FBI, is doing a great job of explaining, on Fox News, the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” he wrote. “Others also, working so hard, with such expertise and knowledge. Hopefully there will be a positive result!”
Technically, Arizona is one of the 27 U.S. states that still have the death penalty, so the possibility is not out of the question. But it is very early to suggest any such punishment, as the Nancy Guthrie investigation is still being treated as a kidnapping case, and there’s no indication that police are ready to treat it in any other way right now.
Arizona has also only carried out two executions since 2022, when Katie Hobbs was elected governor. Hobbs previously led a campaign to ban the death penalty in the state legislature. The President does not make state determinations about things like sanctions, though he could potentially ask the Department of Justice to bring federal criminal charges if federal statutes are violated or the case proves to have an interstate component.
The President has signed an executive order this term with the purpose of “restoring the death penalty and protecting public safety.”
It read, in part, “Capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens. Before, during, and after the founding of the United States, our cities, States, and country have continuously relied upon capital punishment as the ultimate deterrent and only proper punishment for the vilest crimes. Our Founders knew well that only capital punishment can bring justice and restore order in response to such evil. ”
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have been releasing information and videos on social media, pleading with her captors and sending love to their mother, Nancy, as well. On the latest one, Savannah appears by herself, telling anyone who might be involved that “it is never too late to do the right thing.”
Guthrie directly addresses “whoever has her, or knows where she is” as she makes her plea, adding that Nancy Guthrie’s loved ones “still have hope.”
