President Donald Trump is weighing whether to allow the Pentagon to livestream the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, with several Republicans and Catholic leaders opposing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan.
Trump has already approved Hasan’s execution by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, where the former Army psychiatrist also wounded 32 people. But he has not decided whether the public should be allowed to watch.
“There are two thoughts. Don’t show it and show it,” Trump told reporters Saturday. “Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. So, I’ll make a decision, ultimately.”
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Republicans object to livestream
Hegseth announced Thursday that the military would livestream Hasan’s execution, arguing that Americans should be able to see the punishment carried out.
“People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said in an interview.
But several Republicans oppose showing Hasan’s execution to the public.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the plan a “gruesome decision” and warned it could give Hasan the martyrdom he sought. “I would expect this from terrorists and dictators, but not here in America,” she wrote on X.
Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott also opposed the livestream, comparing it to the practices of terrorist groups. “Live-streaming executions is what jihadists do,” Scott wrote. “America is better than that.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis questioned whether showing the execution would deter future attacks. “Broadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent,” Curtis wrote on X. “I urge him to reconsider.
Vice President JD Vance questioned Friday whether the livestream would happen.
“I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” Vance told reporters. “Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching.”
But Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the plan Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“If you attack America, we will come after you and we will make sure that the punishment fits the crime,” Mullin said. “I have no sympathy for him and I give absolutely zero thought to the way that this man dies.”
Catholic leaders condemn the plan
Pope Leo XIV condemned capital punishment Saturday, calling the death penalty “inadmissible” in a statement marking World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The pope did not mention Hasan, but other Catholic leaders have specifically opposed broadcasting his execution.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said it was unacceptable to turn an execution into a public spectacle, regardless of the prisoner’s guilt. “It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this method in this day and age,” he said.
Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the plan a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death” and urged Hegseth to reconsider.
First military execution since 1961
Hasan admitted during his 2013 court-martial that he carried out the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting because he believed the U.S. military was at war with Islam. He represented himself, offered no defense and was sentenced to death.
Trump approved his execution Oct. 2 following Hegseth’s recommendation.
The military has not executed a servicemember since 1961, and it has not carried out an execution by firing squad since World War II.
Hegseth has said Hasan’s execution will take place on the same day of the week and at roughly the same time as the Fort Hood shooting. The Pentagon has not said where the execution would be shown or whether the livestream would be open to anyone online.
