Trump in the dilemma of live broadcast of the execution; Punish a murderer or make a TV show?

This change of position occurs while the proposal to publicly broadcast the execution has been criticized by politicians of both American parties and some White House advisers. According to a senior administration official, Trump has faced a wave of opposition to the idea in recent days.

President Donald Trump is reconsidering a decision that could set up one of the most controversial scenes in the history of the death penalty in this country: the live broadcast of the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former US Army officer who killed 13 people in the deadly Fort Hood shooting.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Axios, quoting four people familiar with Trump's conversations, wrote: The American president has expressed doubts about the live broadcast of this execution in private circles. According to someone close to him, Trump has made it likely that the live broadcast will not take place at all.

execution in front of the camera; An idea that came from the Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegst announced on Thursday that Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad will take place at Fort Hood and will be open to the public.

"We're making sure people can watch it," Hegst said in a televised interview. "This will be a public punishment, because people should know that such actions have serious consequences."

Hassan, the former major of the American army, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3rd; The same base where on November 5, 2009, he opened fire on soldiers and people who were standing in line for medical examinations.

If the execution is broadcast live, it will be the first of its kind in American history, according to Axios.

Trump initially agreed, but then backed down

Trump's position has changed in the past few days. He initially backed his defense secretary's proposal outright, telling reporters on Friday: "Absolutely, I agree."

But hours later, his tone became more cautious. Trump said the proposal to broadcast live was made with the aim of teaching others a lesson, adding that he was not involved in the initial decision, although he understood its logic.

He announced on Saturday that he will make the final decision personally.

Trump said: "There are two views; To show or not to show. Because you know, maybe showing it will keep others from doing what he did. So in the end I decide."

According to Axios, Trump has also asked for the opinion of those around him about this decision in private conversations; A behavior that can indicate his doubt about the political and social costs of this action.

The White House is concerned about turning an execution into a public spectacle

The issue is not only how to implement the punishment; The issue is whether broadcasting images of the execution can lead to greater deterrence or, on the contrary, make the convict a symbolic figure for his supporters.

One of Trump's close associates has told Axios that the president wants to pay for his crimes, and the public broadcast of the execution could bring him more humiliation; But at the same time, there is a concern that such an action will make him a symbolic martyr.

Referring to Hassan's physical condition, another informed person said: "We are shooting an old man who is in a wheelchair. Do we really want to broadcast this live?”

Hassan is 56 years old and was seriously injured during his arrest and has been living with permanent physical disability ever since.

The difference between Trump's deputy and the defense minister

This issue has become another point of disagreement within the US government. J.D. Vance, the vice president, has made an informal statement that it is possible that the execution will not be broadcast live.

"I don't know if that's actually going to happen," Vance told reporters on Friday. He also emphasized that he does not intend to watch this execution.

Axios writes that the difference of opinion between Vance and Hegst is not only limited to this case, and the two are also on different sides of the debate in issues such as the use of military force in Yemen and Iran; However, government advisers say that the personal relationship between these two officials is good.

How did America go from public execution to punishment behind closed doors?

Public executions once existed in America, but this practice was abandoned in the 1930s. In modern times, executions are usually carried out in the presence of a limited number of witnesses, including family members of the victims or selected journalists.

In 2001, the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was visible via closed-circuit television to a number of victims' relatives and survivors; But this was not a public broadcast.

Hogst's proposal, if implemented, would go beyond this practice and allow for live viewing of executions for a wider audience; An action that critics consider morally and socially problematic.

A crime that turned Nidal Hasan's case into one of the most bitter cases in America

On November 5, 2009, Nidal Hasan opened fire on the people present at the Fort Hood Military Training Center in Texas. In this attack, 13 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed and 32 people were injured.

This attack was one of the deadliest shooting incidents at a US military base and was identified as a domestic terrorist attack.

A report by the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee following the incident criticized the military for what it described as "political correctness" and ignoring signs of Hassan's Islamist extremism.

Trump administration officials believe that Hassan will be executed for his crimes, and the main question is not the principle of punishment, but whether it should be public.

However, the final decision about the live broadcast is still undecided. A US government official told Axios that if he had to make a prediction, it is likely that Trump will not issue a license to broadcast live; But he emphasized that he does not want to speculate about the outcome before the president's decision.