Trump Cancels Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution After Bipartisan Backlash/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump said the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. The reversal follows bipartisan criticism, religious objections and warnings that footage could encourage radicalization. Hasan’s execution remains scheduled for Dec. 3, with immediate relatives of victims permitted to attend if they choose.
Quick Look
- Livestream canceled: Trump announced Thursday that the execution will not be broadcast.
- Execution date: The Pentagon has scheduled Hasan’s execution for Dec. 3.
- Family access: Trump said victims’ immediate relatives may witness it in person.
- Bipartisan opposition: Republicans and Democrats criticized the broadcast plan.
- Vance’s position: The vice president previously said he would not watch a livestream.
- Historical context: The U.S. military’s last execution occurred in 1961.
Deep Look
Trump Reverses Plan to Livestream Hasan’s Execution
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will not livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, reversing a plan that drew criticism from both parties and religious leaders.
The decision followed an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month that the execution would be public. The Pentagon subsequently confirmed plans to broadcast it online.
Trump continued to defend the potential deterrent value of showing the execution but said objections had persuaded him against airing it.
He wrote on social media that publicly broadcasting it “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan.”
But he added that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.”
December Execution Remains Scheduled
The Pentagon has said Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec. 3.
Trump said immediate family members of the victims could attend in person, “if they so choose.”
The Pentagon declined Thursday to provide details beyond the president’s statement.
The reversal concerns the broadcast plan. Trump has continued to support carrying out the execution by firing squad.
Bipartisan Critics Warned About Radicalization
The proposed livestream prompted objections from Republicans and Democrats, including concerns that footage could be circulated to encourage radicalization.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was among prominent Republicans who expressed opposition.
Vice President JD Vance had also questioned whether the broadcast would ultimately happen and said he would not watch it.
Asked earlier this month how a public execution aligned with his Christian faith, Vance responded: “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen.”
“So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” Vance said, adding: “Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”
Catholic Leaders Condemned Broadcast Proposal
Vance is Catholic, and the Catholic Church has long opposed capital punishment.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemned the administration’s proposed livestream.
He described it as a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered.”
The religious criticism added to the political opposition surrounding the Pentagon’s announcement.
Trump Had Previously Distanced Himself From Livestream Decision
Before Thursday’s reversal, Trump had defended the execution method while leaving the broadcast decision unresolved.
“Well, they’re making a determination about that,” Trump said Friday when asked about livestreaming.
Discussing Hasan’s punishment, he said: “He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad. I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him.”
Hasan Carried Out the 2009 Fort Hood Attack
Hasan was an Army psychiatrist holding the rank of major when he entered a medical building at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009.
Soldiers were waiting for immunizations and medical clearance before deployment.
He shouted “Allahu akbar” — Arabic for “God is great!” — and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun. He also fired at soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot.
Hasan said he was trying to prevent troops from deploying to Afghanistan and killing fellow Muslims. A military judge prohibited him from presenting that argument as a defense during his 2013 trial.
Law enforcement shot Hasan in the back during the attack, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He uses a wheelchair.
Execution Could Still Face Delays
Hasan could seek a lengthy postponementalthough his conduct during the trial leaves uncertain whether he will pursue one.
The U.S. military has not executed a service member by firing squad since World War II.
Its most recent execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged.
More on US News