I won’t be watching livestream of US shooter’s execution — Vice President Vance

Vice President JD Vance has expressed his reluctance to watch the proposed livestream execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009. Reuters reported on October 9, 2026, that Vance questioned the feasibility of the livestream, despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement of the plan.

When asked about the execution during a campaign rally in Ohio, Vance stated, "I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen," and added, "If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it." US President Donald Trump had previously announced that Hasan would be executed by firing squad, but he did not comment on the livestream plan announced by Hegseth on Thursday.

The planned execution has faced criticism from some Republican lawmakers, with Senator Thom Tillis describing it as "beyond disgusting" and calling public executions "what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do." If the execution were to be carried out by firing squad, Hasan would become the first person executed by a US military firing squad since 1945.