Trump rules out livestreaming Hasan’s scheduled execution at Fort Hood
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Donald Trump has reversed Pete Hegseth’s decision to livestream Nidal Malik Hasan’s scheduled execution, following criticism from politicians and the public. Trump said Hasan will still face a firing squad on 3 December, but the execution will not be streamed; victims’ immediate families may attend in person.
Hasan, a former US Army major, killed 13 people and wounded 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood attack, the deadliest attack on a US military installation. He was sentenced to death in 2013. A Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found that 80 per cent of US adults opposed livestreaming the execution, which would have been the first public execution in the United States since 1937.
- Trump has ruled out livestreaming Hasan’s execution.
- The firing squad is still scheduled for 3 December.
- 80 per cent of US adults opposed a livestream.
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Fort Hood is a US Army base in Texas. In 2009, Army major Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people there and wounded 32 others. A military court convicted him and sentenced him to death in 2013.
Hasan is held on the US Army’s death row, which has four inmates. The case concerns how the military carries out a death sentence and who may witness it. Public executions have not taken place in the United States since 1937, and broadcasting one would raise questions about privacy, public access and the treatment of victims’ families.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of livestreaming could argue that an execution carried out by the state should be open to public scrutiny, with a recording helping demonstrate that officials followed the law and their procedures. They might also say that transparency honours the gravity of the crime and the victims, rather than shielding the state’s use of lethal force from public view.
The case against
Opponents could argue that broadcasting an execution would turn a judicial punishment into a spectacle, risking harm to victims’ families and degrading the dignity of everyone involved. They may regard public accountability as important but believe it can be secured through independent oversight and access for victims’ immediate families without livestreaming.
More coverage
- Fox News — Trump rules out livestream for Nidal Hasan firing squad execution
- Deadline — Donald Trump Says Execution Of Fort Hood Shooter Will Not Be Livestreamed
- The Hill — 80 percent oppose Hegseth's push to livestream Fort Hood shooter execution: Survey
- The Hill — Trump cancels Hegseth's planned livestream for Nidal Hasan execution
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Trump cancels livestream for Fort Hood shooter’s firing squad execution in brutal blow to Pete Hegseth”.