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Trump Says He Will Decide Whether to Livestream Nidal Hasan's Firing Squad Execution
ReTrump Says He Will Decide Whether to Livestream Nidal Hasan's Firing Squad Execution
President Trump said he has not decided whether the military execution of convicted Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan will be broadcast, as the Pentagon plans a Dec. 3 firing squad execution that would be the first military execution since 1961.
President Donald Trump said he has not yet decided whether the military will livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009. The Pentagon confirmed earlier this week that Hasan's execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 and would be broadcast from Fort Hood, but Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday that he will ultimately make the call.
«He was vicious, he was violent,» Trump said when asked about the execution. «There are two thoughts: don't show it and show it. Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did.» He added: «I'll make a decision, ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision.»
The comments came one day after Trump was asked whether he had approved the decision to livestream the execution. In an interview Friday with CNY Central following a rally in Syracuse, he said: «I wasn't involved in that decision, but I understand the decision.» He noted that the military wanted the execution to «serve as an example, and I understand that very well.»
Vice President JD Vance also weighed in Friday, telling reporters he was not sure whether the execution would be livestreamed. «If it's ultimately livestreamed, I'm not going to be watching it,» he said.
Trump approved the use of an Army firing squad following a recommendation from War Secretary Pete Hegseth. If carried out, Hasan's execution would be the first conducted by the U.S. military since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad since 1945.
The case has drawn renewed attention because of the rarity of military executions and the unusual prospect of a public broadcast. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to death for the Fort Hood shooting, the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military base. The execution would take place at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos, in Texas.
The decision on whether to allow the livestream now rests with the president, who has signaled he is weighing the potential deterrent effect against concerns about broadcasting an execution. The military has not conducted an execution in more than six decades, and no service member has been put to death by firing squad since 1945. The Pentagon's plan to livestream the event would mark a significant departure from historical practice.
Trump's remarks leave open the possibility that the execution could be carried out without a public broadcast, or that the broadcast could be limited in some way. He did not indicate when he would make a final decision. The White House has not provided further details on the timing or scope of the review.
The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3, less than two weeks away. If it proceeds as planned, it would be the first military execution in the modern era and the first to be broadcast, raising questions about transparency, the rights of victims' families, and the role of public viewing in capital punishment. The case has also revived debate over the death penalty in the military justice system, which has not carried out an execution since 1961.
Hasan, who represented himself at trial, was convicted on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death by a military jury. His execution would require the president's approval, which Trump has already given for the use of a firing squad. The final decision on the livestream now rests with him.
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