Trump cancels livestreamed execution amid backlash

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed. This reverses an earlier Pentagon plan to broadcast the event. Trump made the decision known via a post on Truth Social. He argued that streaming the execution could potentially deter others from witnessing how America handles terrorists and scum like Hasan, although many people might prefer not to watch him die.

The core of the plan – that Hasan's family and friends would still be allowed to attend – remained unaltered. Trump expressed his support for carrying out the death sentence, but acknowledged that some people would rather not witness the execution. Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced the plan to broadcast the event.

Trump had been unaware of Hegseth's broadcast intentions beforehand. The announcement sparked immediate backlash across the political spectrum. A poll found that 80% of U.S. adults opposed a livestream broadcast, including 64% of Republicans. International organizations, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, also condemned the proposal.

A civil lawyer for Hasan noted that Trump's decision to cancel the broadcast was predictable, calling it a "dumb decision" that violated Army regulations. The November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood remains the deadliest non-combat attack on a domestic military base in U.S. history.