Donald Trump has announced he will pursue a change in the law to allow "big drug pushers" to face the death penalty.

Under current US law only murder is a capital crime but Mr Trump said: "We have to change the laws. The Department of Justice is working very hard on that.

"This isn't about nice anymore. Toughness is the thing they (drug dealers) most fear. That toughness includes the death penalty."

The US president said there should be "zero tolerance" and he could not personally understand why anyone would be opposed to executing dealers who "kill thousands of people over their lifetime".

He said: "Together we will end the scourge of drug addiction once and for all. We will do whatever we have to do but we're going to win."