Driving the news: “He will die, as planned, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump’s message read.
- He added: “That said, the execution can be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they wish.”
- Trump noted that he thinks “streaming the execution for all to see might have deterred the world from seeing how America treats terrorists and SCUMs like Hasan, but a lot of very good, well-meaning people would prefer not to see him die.”
- This apparently included Vice President JD Vance, who said he would not attend the execution.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned that footage of the execution could become a “recruitment tool for future terrorists.”
What they say: Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement provided to Axios that Trump and Secretary Hegseth discussed the decision before Truth Social’s publication.
- Parnell added: “The secretary supports the president’s decision, and they are completely aligned.”
Catch up quickly: The Pentagon previously confirmed that the December execution would be broadcast after Hegseth said in an interview with Real America’s Voice that it would be made “public.”
- But the plan was quickly rejected by Republicans and Democrats in Congress, as well as clergy and survivors of the horrific 2009 attack.
- Although most Americans support executing Hasan, a large majority oppose live-streaming his death by firing squad, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released Thursday.
- Representatives for TikTok and Newsmax told Axios that their platforms will not allow live streams or clips to run, Sara Fischer from Axios reported.
Point of friction: The reversal also comes after Marc Caputo of Axios reported that the president himself was privately expressing doubts about the public execution after being inundated with a chorus of negative sentiments.
- At first, he was fully supportive of the idea – but it took about a week for the plan to fall apart.
Go further: Hegseth’s public execution plan responds to the era of viral violence
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Pentagon.
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