President Donald Trump has cast fresh doubt on plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday, Mr Trump said he was weighing up whether to broadcast the death and insisted the decision rested with him.
President weighs public broadcast
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked outrage when he announced that Hasan's execution would be livestreamed, arguing Americans needed to see the consequences of attacking US military personnel. However, Mr Trump appeared to backtrack, saying: “There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it. Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. So I’ll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but I’ll make a decision.”
The President described Hasan as a “vicious killer” who murdered 13 people “in cold blood” and wounded another 20. He added: “Some of those people will never have their lives back in a true sense.”
Shift in tone after earlier endorsement
His latest comments mark a shift in tone after he endorsed Mr Hegseth's proposal earlier in the week, declaring Hasan “deserves it”. On Friday, Mr Trump said the Pentagon was “making a determination” over the broadcast, while insisting Hasan would face a firing squad regardless.
Mr Trump said: “I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him.” The execution is scheduled for December 3 at 1pm.
Political and international backlash
Vice President JD Vance has also cast doubt on whether the livestream will happen, saying on Friday: “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen.” Mr Vance added that he would not watch it if it went ahead, while stressing that Hasan had brutally murdered innocent people.
The proposal has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, threatening to become another flashpoint for an administration already facing mounting political pressure ahead of November's midterm elections. Mr Trump's Republicans are battling to maintain their congressional majorities, with the results set to determine how much power the President retains over the second half of his term.
The UN human rights office warned that broadcasting the killing would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition of torture. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy compared the proposal to executions carried out by Islamic State terrorists, asking: “What is he mimicking? ISIS executions.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis also condemned the idea, arguing that public executions were associated with oppressive regimes. Mr Tillis wrote on X: “It should not be happening in America,” describing the prospect of livestreaming Hasan's death as “beyond disgusting”.
Background of the case
Mr Hegseth unveiled the proposal during an interview on Jack Posobiec's podcast, invoking the US Army's wartime approach and arguing that the public needed to understand the consequences of attacking its personnel. Hasan was convicted in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder after opening fire inside a medical building at Fort Hood in November 2009.
The Army major, who worked as a psychiatrist, told investigators he had targeted soldiers preparing to deploy to Afghanistan because they were “going to engage in an illegal war”. His planned execution has now become the focus of an increasingly bitter debate over whether the killing should take place behind closed doors or be broadcast to the American public.
