Arroyo asked Trump about whether presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is pro-life, noting that some Catholics claim Biden is a pro-life candidate because of his opposition to the death penalty and his efforts to end climate change, while claiming Trump is not.
"I am totally in favor of the death penalty for heinous crimes, ok? That's the way it is," the president said.
"I'm pro-life, he's not. And the Democrats -- look who he's putting on the court."
"They want to put people on the court- you have no chance. So I'm pro-life, the Democrats aren't. Nobody can say that Biden is, look at his stance over the years," the president added, saying that in his view Democratic party operatives will advance a pro-abortion agenda if Biden is elected to the White House.
Pope Francis has called the death penalty a rejection of the Gospel and of human dignity, calling on civil authorities to end its use, as did Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
In 2018, the Catechism of the Catholic Church was revised to describe the death penalty as "inadmissible," citing the increasing effectiveness of detention systems, the unchanging dignity of the person, and the importance of leaving open the possibility of conversion.
The decision from the Supreme Court came on the same day it struck down a Louisiana law which would have applied new regulations to abortion clinics in the state. The law would have required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.
The court found the rule posed substantial obstacles to a woman's access to abortion, without significant benefits to the safety of women. The suit against the law was brought by an abortion provider and two abortion doctors.
Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.