President Donald Trump said Oct. 10 that he would decide whether the military execution of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed. That leaves the public broadcast of the firing-squad execution unresolved, despite Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announcing a public livestream on Oct. 8.
“By showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did, so I'll make a decision ultimately,” Trump said outside the White House. “I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision.” Trump laid out two options: “Show it and don't show it.”
Who Decides
Hegseth said he would make the livestream public. Trump’s comments on Oct. 10 placed the final decision with the president, while suggesting the military has its own preference. Trump didn’t say what that preference was. He also didn’t announce whether the execution would be broadcast.
The Federal Communications Commission’s role also came into question. Asked by CNBC whether he would allow the livestream to be broadcast, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said he would “defer to” Hegseth. Carr said: “My understanding is it's not on broadcast TV, so I don't think there's a role for the FCC there one way or the other.”
Carr’s answer described the limits of the FCC’s involvement as he understood them: the planned livestream wasn’t on broadcast television, and he saw no role for the agency. Trump’s decision is whether the public will see the execution through a livestream.
The Fort Hood Case
Hasan was convicted in 2009 of killing 13 people and wounding more than 31 others at Fort Hood, Texas. The firing-squad execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, where Hasan carried out the mass shooting.
Trump referred to the victims as he discussed the execution. “I have two thoughts: He's a vicious killer, killed 13 people in cold blood, wounded over 20, some of those people will never have their lives back in a true sense,” he said on Oct. 10. Trump gave those figures; the article reports that more than 31 people were injured.
The day before, Trump said Hasan “deserves it.” It wasn't clear whether he meant the execution or a livestream. On Oct. 10, he again called Hasan “vicious” and “violent,” but said he hadn’t decided whether to show the execution.
Public Reaction
Hegseth’s announcement drew backlash from Democrats and Republicans, who called it the behavior of dictators and terrorist organizations. The article doesn’t identify the lawmakers who made those comparisons or give further details about their objections.
Vice President JD Vance said on Oct. 9 that he wouldn't watch the execution if it were livestreamed and that he didn't “know that that's actually going to happen.” Vance is a Catholic. On Oct. 10, Pope Leo XIV spoke out against the death penalty following the controversial announcement.
The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. The livestream question remains open, and Trump said he would make the final call.