Trump announces Nidal Hasan execution 'will not be streamed'
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad "will not be streamed" -- reversing the controversial announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the killing would be publicly broadcast.
Trump said that Hasan's execution will still take place as scheduled, "by firing squad" -- even though it will not be livestreamed.
It's unclear whether Hegseth was made aware of Trump's decision to cancel the livestream before Trump sent out his statement Thursday morning.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding another 32 in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan, who described the attack as an act of jihad, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3 at the same base where he committed the attack.
"... I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device," Trump wrote in a social media post Thursday morning. "He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed."
Trump added that the execution can be viewed in person by the families of victims if they choose.
Public executions were once common in the U.S., but states began restricting and abolishing the practice in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries. The last widely recognized public execution was carried out in Kentucky in 1936.
Last week, Hegseth vowed to make the execution public and confirmed it would be livestreamed. But Trump and his advisers earlier this week were mulling whether to no longer livestream Hasan's execution, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News, amid a hesitancy over whether broadcasting the execution could super charge anti-American propaganda or reflect poorly on the U.S.
Vice President JD Vance said last week that he wasn't sure whether there would be a livestream, adding that he wouldn’t watch it if there were.
Many lawmakers -- including several Republicans -- spoke out against the livestream. Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis condemned the livestream plan last week saying that, "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America."
The Pentagon had maintained earlier this week that the livestream was moving forward. The Department of Defense has not immediately responded to a request for comment on Trump's cancellation of the livestream.
Eight in 10 Americans say that Hasan's execution should not be livestreamed, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos' KnowledgePanel out Thursday morning.
