Americans are drawing a line at the plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood jihadi who slaughtered 13 people and wounded 32 others in 2009.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced last Thursday that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, scheduled for December 3, 2026, would be made available for public viewing. It would be the first U.S. military execution in over six decades — and the first ever livestreamed.
The reaction from everyday Americans, interviewed by Fox News Digital, is not what you might expect from a country still angry over one of the worst domestic terror attacks on U.S. soil.
"I think that's absolutely absurd," Anya from Virginia told Fox News Digital. "I think they should keep that discreet and off of the public news."
"It's an abomination. It should not happen," Paul from Illinois said. "And I'd hate to be one of the soldiers that's tasked with the job of pulling the trigger."
The sentiment is echoed across the country. Several Americans who spoke with Fox News Digital supported Hasan's death sentence but drew the line at broadcasting his execution, warning it could turn capital punishment into a public spectacle — and could be particularly dangerous in today's political climate.
"I'm not necessarily against giving him the death penalty, but I feel like livestreaming for people's entertainment is just weird," Nick from Virginia said.
"I agree with the sentence," Bobbie from Massachusetts said. "I don't agree with televising it." He added, "Especially given the climate of today, I'm not sure it's something we need to see."
"It's not a practice we should be doing in modern society," Reid from Ohio said. "It's rather medieval, in my opinion. I'm certainly pro-death penalty for heinous crimes such as that, but I think that … turns it into something of a spectacle that it really doesn't have any business being."
But one Virginia man took a drastically different position, suggesting the government should charge Americans to watch the execution and donate the proceeds to the families of U.S. service members who died in the line of duty.
"I think they're missing an opportunity," Jason from Virginia said. "It should be p
The pushback isn't coming only from the public. A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill are voicing concern over the Pentagon's plan — or at the very least, saying they won't be watching.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News that some in the House Republican conference don't approve, and said he planned on bringing those concerns to the White House.
"There are colleagues who have concerns," Johnson told CBS News. "The concern would be that you would create a video that would be a recruiting tool for future terrorists. You know, we've got to think through the policy implications of all that. I wouldn't be watching it if it was aired. But there's a lot of opinions on that. I think there's still some time to talk about that. … I need to tell the White House what some of my colleagues think about that, and not everybody is in favor of the idea."
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said there is "no need to livestream any execution, including this one," urging the Pentagon to change course.
"I would expect this from terrorists and dictators, but not here in America," she wrote on X. "It would give this individual, who deserves no further notoriety, the martyrdom he seeks. How we carry out justice matters just as much as the justice itself, so I urge the Pentagon to reverse this gruesome decision."
Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said in a statement, "The death penalty is not entertainment." He said families of the victims deserve justice.
"But publicizing the execution of religious extremists provides exactly what terrorists crave: an audience," Cramer said. "It converts the most consequential punishment a government can impose into a public spectacle."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., posted to X on Thursday: "Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting. Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America."
President Trump said Saturday that he will make the decision of whether or not to livestream Hasan's execution, acknowledging that he knows "what the military would like to do" following Hegseth's confirmation.
Julia Wilson, a survivor of the 2009 mass shooting and former Defense Department civilian employee, told Fox News Digital that she wants the mass shooter executed — and as a victim, she wants to attend his execution and look him in the eye.
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But even Wilson is skeptical of the public broadcast.
"I'm kind of shocked that they're going to go so far as to televise it," she said. "I don't really know how to feel about that."
"Unfortunately, some children may end up seeing that, that don't need to see something like that," Wilson added. "Seeing my soldiers murdered that day, that was the first time I've ever seen anything like that. And I can never wash it out of my mind."
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at the time of the shooting, is now 56 years old and is wheelchair-bound after he was left partially paralyzed after being shot by police officers during his arrest almost 17 years ago. He was sentenced to death on Aug. 28, 2013, following a military court-martial verdict. On Oct. 2, President Donald Trump approved the death sentence.
The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3, 2026.
Our Take
Let's be clear about one thing: Nidal Hasan is a mass murderer who gunned down 13 American soldiers and wounded 32 more in cold blood. He is a jihadi who shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire on unarmed service members preparing for deployment. He deserves everything that's coming to him on December 3.
But there's a reason even Republicans — including some of the strongest supporters of the death penalty — are recoiling at the idea of turning his execution into a pay-per-view event. It's not softness on crime. It's wisdom.
Hasan wants an audience. That's what terrorists do. They crave the spotlight, the martyrdom, the chance to inspire the next generation of killers. Handing him a livestream watched by millions doesn't just punish him — it gives him exactly what he wants. It turns his final moments into a recruiting video for every radicalized lunatic with a grudge and a rifle.
The soldiers who will carry out this execution are professionals doing a difficult job. They signed up to defend this country, not to become stars in a public spectacle. Putting their faces — or even the act itself — on camera for the world to see is a burden no American servicemember should have to carry.
And let's not pretend this is about transparency. We know what a firing squad does. We don't need to watch it on YouTube to understand that justice has been served.
President Trump has said he'll make the final call. He should listen to the survivors, the families, and the overwhelming majority of Americans who say: execute Hasan, yes. But do it with the dignity and discretion this country was built on — not as a public show for the world's entertainment.
Justice for the 13 heroes of Fort Hood doesn't require a camera crew. It requires a firing squad, a solemn duty, and a nation that understands some things are too sacred for prime time.
