The Pentagon was ready to put a military execution on the internet. On Thursday, the President hit the off switch.
Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the Army’s firing-squad execution of convicted Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan will go ahead as scheduled but “will not be streamed.” That kills Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan, announced last week, to livestream it. Hasan, 56, murdered 13 people and wounded 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood attack. CNBC reports he is set to die Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. Central, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
Trump didn’t exactly turn on the idea. He wrote that streaming it “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan,” but said “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die.” Victims’ immediate families can still watch in person if they choose. “They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” he wrote.
The backlash had been loud. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released hours earlier found 80% of Americans opposed streaming it, with only 18% in favor. Sen. Thom Tillis called the idea “beyond disgusting.” Catholic bishops called it “barbaric.” Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army sergeant Hasan shot seven times, plans to attend but said he didn’t want “some pay-per-view event, like some John Wick movie.” Sen. Mark Kelly introduced a bill Thursday to ban livestreamed executions.
Reuters reports a White House official said Trump hadn’t known about Hegseth’s plan, and called it the first major public split between the two men. The Pentagon says they spoke before the post and are “completely aligned.” One veteran GOP strategist’s verdict: “nobody will remember it next week.”
Some history: no U.S. government execution has ever been broadcast, and the military hasn’t used a firing squad since 1945. Hegseth wanted to break both records. He’s now down to one.
Sources: CNBC — Trump says Nidal Hasan execution won’t be livestreamed · Reuters via Investing.com — Hegseth’s TV instincts backfire as Trump rejects execution livestream
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Leave a Reply