Trump cancels live broadcast of Fort Hood firing squad execution after bipartisan opposition

Trump's announcement came amid a wave of bipartisan reactions.

President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled live broadcasts of the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hassan after a wave of bipartisan backlash.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said he thought broadcasting the execution "could be a strong deterrent for the world to see how America deals with terrorists and SCUM," but that "a lot of very good, good people would rather not watch him die."

Trump added: "The families of the victims may see the execution "if they want".

The execution is still scheduled for December 3 and is the first US Army firing squad execution since World War II.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett announced on October 8 that Hassan's execution would be broadcast live, prompting a backlash from both sides.

"I don't know that that's actually going to happen," Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month. He also said that if it is broadcast live, I will not watch it.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson also said he would not watch the execution. In an interview with CBS News earlier this month, he said he has colleagues who have "concerns" about going live, one of which is "creating a video that's a tool to attract future terrorists."

In addition to many Democrats in Congress, several Republican lawmakers have voiced their opposition to the plans.

"I fully support the death penalty, but," said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Georgia, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, in a post on X, "America is better than this."

"Civilization is eroded when it cultivates an appetite for execution as a form of entertainment," Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said in a post on X urging Hexett to "reconsider" his decision. Secretary Hext's plan to live-stream the Fort Hood execution threatens that appetite.

Republican Sen. Tom Tillis of North Carolina, a staunch GOP anti-Hexet critic, called the live stream "beyond disgusting." Public executions are what repressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. This should not happen in America."

According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN, Trump reconsidered the live execution this week after learning that Hassan was paralyzed from the waist down.

Polls show that the majority of Americans oppose live executions

The majority of Americans also opposed the live broadcast of Hassan's execution. Eight in ten Americans said executions should not be broadcast live, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.

Majorities along party lines opposed live streaming, with 91 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of independents and 64 percent of Republicans, according to the poll.

Another YouGov poll found that 69% of respondents opposed broadcasting public executions, including 52% of Republicans, 67% of independents and 87% of Democrats.

Among those who supported the death penalty, 55 percent opposed live executions.

Overall, support for the death penalty has declined in the United States. According to a Gallup poll, 52 percent of Americans support the death penalty for convicted murderers in 2025, down from about 80 percent in 1994.

Hassan, a former U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.

He opened fire inside a processing center where soldiers were preparing to be sent overseas, killing 12 soldiers and a civilian employee. Pvt Francesca Wells, 21, was three months pregnant when she was shot and killed by Hassan.

Hassan said his motivation was to oppose the US operation in Afghanistan and support the Taliban.

"I was on the wrong side but I switched sides," Hassan said in 2013.