President Donald Trump announced the Pentagon will no longer livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, reversing a plan that drew objections from religious leaders, retired generals and lawmakers from both parties, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. Hasan’s execution is still scheduled for Dec. 3.
The decision to cancel the broadcast comes less than a week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the execution would be public, a plan the Pentagon subsequently confirmed, according to NPR. That announcement set off a wave of pushback that ultimately led to Thursday’s reversal.
Trump Cancels Hasan Execution Livestream
Trump explained his reasoning in a social media post cited by Reuters. “I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” Trump wrote.
Trump said immediate families of the victims will still be able to view the execution in person if they choose, according to the AP and Reuters. Vice President JD Vance had already said he would not watch the broadcast had it gone forward. “Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it,” Vance said, according to the AP.
What The Reversal Means For Fans And The Public
The livestream plan faced bipartisan criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, many of whom raised concerns that broadcasting the footage could fuel radicalization, according to the AP and Reuters. Religious leaders and international observers also voiced doubts about televising the execution, Reuters reported, and recent polling cited by Reuters showed a majority of Americans opposed the livestream plan.
The objections from religious leaders and retired generals mark a different strand of opposition than an earlier controversy involving Catholic soldiers. That separate matter centered on calls for Catholic service members to opt out of participating in the execution itself, a distinct issue from the debate over whether the event should be broadcast at all.
Background On The Fort Hood Shooting Case
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, killed 13 people and wounded 31 others in the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, according to Reuters. He was convicted in a military trial in 2013, the AP and NPR reported. His execution, set for Dec. 3, would be the first military execution carried out in more than 65 years, according to NPR.
What’s Next
The execution remains scheduled for Dec. 3, though it will proceed without the public livestream that had been planned. Immediate family members of Hasan’s victims retain the option to witness the execution in person, as Trump stated in his announcement.
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