Donald Trump has spoken for the first time about the botched execution of Tennessee death row prisoner Christa Pike, insisting that carrying out a lethal injection “shouldn’t be very difficult”. Pike, 50, remains in a critical condition in hospital after surviving two lethal injections during the execution attempt in Tennessee.

Her long term chances of recovery remain unclear after the execution went ahead on Wednesday, around eight hours later than originally planned. The delay followed a court ruling which temporarily halted the execution before it was eventually allowed to proceed.

US President Donald Trump then addressed whether he would push for changes to capital punishment following the failed execution, saying the matter was for state authorities.

He described Pike’s case as an “interesting situation”. Trump said: “Well, that was an interesting situation, but you’re going to have to speak to Tennessee about it, whether or not they’re going to go forward.”

He then turned to his aides as he discussed what had happened during the execution attempt. Trump explained: “You know what that was about. That was an execution where the medication didn’t exactly work.”

The President then brought Republican congressman Ronny Jackson, a physician who previously served as his White House doctor, into the exchange.

Trump asked him: “How does that happen? He’s a great doctor.” Mr Jackson replied: “I don’t know how that happens. It should be easy to do.”

Within hours of the failed execution, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee cancelled the state’s final execution of 2026, which had been scheduled for December 3, and ordered an independent investigation into what went wrong.

Lee said: “It needs to be done thoroughly and however long that takes, whatever process is required to make sure we get to the very end of it and all the questions are answered.”

Questions remain over what happened inside the death chamber after the curtain was closed at 8.06pm. Pike’s attorney was later told an ambulance was on its way, while witnesses were asked to leave at around 8.50pm.

It also remains unclear what happened during that period or when the attempt to execute Pike turned into efforts to save her life.

Prison officials have said lethal injection protocols were followed but have not provided further details about when the procedure changed course.

Pike’s lawyer Randy Spivey said: “We at this point do not know the ramifications of the chemical torture that she has endured.”

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend tortured and murdered 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer on January 12, 1995. The pair had met her at a job camp for troubled teenagers

A pentagram was carved into Colleen’s chest during the killing, while Pike used a piece of asphalt to smash her head and later kept part of her skull.

She showed pieces of the skull to people at school, prompting a police investigation. A fragment was later found in the pocket of Pike’s jacket.

Pike was convicted the following year and became the youngest woman sentenced to death.