On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the Pentagon will no longer livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter. This decision was made following significant bipartisan criticism. Vice President JD Vance had also expressed his disapproval, stating he would not watch the execution.
Trump, while addressing the situation on social media, suggested that publicly airing Hasan’s execution might have served as a deterrent to terrorists. However, he acknowledged that many people would prefer not to witness his death through streaming or any other media format. The planned execution is scheduled for December 3, and Trump mentioned that it could be viewed in person by the immediate families of its victims if they so desired.
The original announcement from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the public nature of Hasan’s execution, which included the livestream, faced backlash from both Republican and Democratic officials. Critics highlighted concerns that the broadcasted images could potentially fuel radicalization among extremist groups. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell indicated that Trump and Hegseth had discussed the decision to abandon the livestream plans before Trump made the announcement publicly.
When discussing the execution earlier in the month, Vance had hesitated to confirm whether it would indeed be publicly broadcast. He cautioned that, regardless of the method of execution, it was critical not to forget the heinous crimes committed by Hasan, who killed many innocent individuals during the Fort Hood shooting. Vance, a Catholic, noted that he would not be watching the execution if it was live-streamed, reflecting his faith's longstanding opposition to capital punishment. The heads of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also condemned the decision to livestream the execution, describing it as a barbaric promotion of a culture of death.
Several prominent Republican figures, including House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, voiced similar concerns. While Trump supported the use of a firing squad for Hasan’s execution, he strategically distanced himself from Hegseth’s initial announcement about the livestreaming. When questioned about the broadcast, Trump stated that he did not care about how Hasan was executed, as long as it was carried out. He remarked, “He will be killed... I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him.”
Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and major, infamously carried out the Fort Hood shooting on November 5, 2009. He entered a medical building where soldiers were waiting for immunizations and shouted “Allahu akbar,” before opening fire with a laser-sighted handgun, perpetrating a massacre against troops preparing for deployment. His stated motive was to prevent these soldiers from going to Afghanistan to kill fellow Muslims, but he was barred from presenting this as a defense in his 2013 trial. Hasan was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by law enforcement and now utilizes a wheelchair.
Despite the execution being set for December, Hasan could seek a delay; however, given his behavior during the trial, it is uncertain if he would want to do so. Historically, the U.S. military has not executed a service member by firing squad since World War II, with the last military execution occurring on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged.
