Trump Cancels Livestream of Fort Hood Terrorist’s Execution for the Sake of ‘Very Good and Well Meaning People’
President Donald Trump has decided not to stream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, despite earlier plans for a public firing squad on December 3. The change came after criticism from both Democratic and Republican officials, who argued that livestreaming such events is inappropriate, undermines the dignity of justice, and resembles oppressive regimes. Trump stated that the execution will proceed as scheduled but will not be broadcast, allowing victims’ families the choice to view the event in person. Many lawmakers expressed concern that turning executions into public spectacles diminishes the moral authority of the justice system and fosters a culture of entertainment around violence. Vice President J.D. Vance and others also indicated thay would not watch the livestream if it occurred. The overall response highlights debates over the appropriateness and morality of publicly televised executions.
President Donald Trump has canceled the livestream execution of the Fort Hood Islamic terrorist mass shooter, former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan.
Hasan is scheduled to be publicly executed by firing squad at Ford Hood on Dec. 3. Earlier this month, War Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that the execution would be public.
But in a post published late Thursday morning, the president wrote that the execution will “not be streamed” going forward.
The president attributed this change to criticism from “good and well meaning people.”
BREAKING: Trump rules out livestream for Fort Hood attacker Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution https://t.co/ZTlHU2qgLf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 15, 2026
“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,” the president wrote on .
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” he added. “That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose.”
According to the Associated Press, this change in plans comes after the original livestreaming plan sparked bipartisan backlash.
Some of the backlash came from House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, a Washington state Democrat who released a statement through the committee calling the livestream proposal “disturbing.”
Smith further argued that the livestream “makes a mockery of our legal system” and would turn the rule of law into a spectacle.
“Calling for a livestream of the execution of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is disturbing and makes a mockery of our legal system. There is a reason why we treat the meting out of justice with the seriousness it demands. We are a democratic country and should take the rule of law seriously, not turn it in to a spectacle.”
– @HASCDemocrats Ranking Member @RepAdamSmith
— House Armed Services Democrats (@HASCDemocrats) October 9, 2026
Several Republican lawmakers also spoke out against the plan.
“Seneca warned that Rome’s bloody spectacles corrupted the people who watched them,” Utah Sen. John Curtis wrote on the social media platform X. “A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment.”
“Secretary Hegseth’s plan to livestream the Fort Hood execution risks feeding that appetite,” he added. “The victims deserve justice administered with solemnity. Broadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent. I urge him to reconsider.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Rob Bresnahan echoed this sentiment in a post of his own:
An execution shouldn’t be a live-streamed spectacle. The focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not turning an execution into entertainment. Their pain deserves respect, not a public show.
— Congressman Rob Bresnahan Jr. (@RepBresnahan) October 9, 2026
Georgia Rep. Austin Scott and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis followed suit.
“I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do,” Scott wrote on X. “America is better than that.”
“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do,” Tillis added. “It should not be happening in America.”
The final straw appeared to come from Vice President J.D. Vance, who told reporters on Friday that he didn’t intend to watch the livestream:
.@VP JD Vance on livestreamed execution: “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not gonna be watching it.” https://t.co/DKQ7X2MiWw
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 9, 2026
“If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not gonna be watching it,” he said.
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