Trump sows doubt on plan to livestream US military execution as backlash grows

On October 10, US President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty regarding the livestreaming of Nidal Hasan's execution, a decision that has been met with widespread criticism. Hasan, who carried out the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, resulting in the death of 13 individuals, is set for execution via firing squad on December 3, marking the first such execution of its kind by the US military since 1945.

The Pentagon confirmed that the execution would be streamed live, following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's assurance that it would be accessible to the public. However, Trump's remarks left ambiguity on whether the execution would be publicly broadcast, stating, "I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes."

Vice President Mike Pence also expressed doubt, stating he does not "know that that’s actually going to happen," although he supported the death penalty for Hasan. Representative Austin Scott, a Republican, backed the execution but opposed livestreaming, citing its association with terrorist tactics. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, argued that public executions emulate those of Iran and the Taliban, questioning the nation's moral stance.

Tech companies like YouTube, Meta, and X were queried about their willingness to permit the execution's streaming, with TikTok citing its policy against graphic violence. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the plan, labeling it a public execution and a breach of human rights. Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, decried the execution as a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death."

The last US military execution occurred in 1961, and 135 troops have been executed since 1916. Amnesty International highlighted that at least 17 public executions were conducted globally in 2025, underscoring the rarity of such events. Amnesty International's Justin Mazzola emphasized that the death penalty constitutes a human rights violation, and livestreaming the execution would exacerbate its cruelty.

Nidal Hasan, who defended himself during the trial without witnesses or testimony, was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013 for his role in the Fort Hood attack.