Trump Cancels Planned Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution

On Thursday, President Donald Trump decided to cancel a livestream of the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, following a significant amount of bipartisan opposition. In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his belief that streaming the execution could serve as a strong deterrent, but acknowledged that many individuals, including those of good intentions, would prefer not to witness Hasan's death.

The families of the victims may still view the execution if they choose to do so. The execution is scheduled for December 3, marking the first U.S. military firing squad execution since World War II. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced on October 8 that the execution would be livestreamed, which triggered considerable pushback from both Democrats and Republicans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with several other Republican lawmakers, also expressed their disapproval of the plan. Trump reconsidered the livestream after learning about Hasan's paralysis from the waist down, according to sources familiar with the situation. According to a recent poll, the majority of Americans oppose livestreamed executions, with eight in ten Americans disapproving of the execution being broadcast live.

Majorities across party lines also opposed the livestream, with 91% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 64% of Republicans opposed. A YouGov poll found that 69% of respondents were against broadcasting executions to the public, including 87% of Democrats.