I won’t be watching livestream of US shooter’s execution — Vice President Vance

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 10, 2026, as he departs for Pakistan for talks on Iran. Vance said Friday he hoped for a "positive" outcome as he departed Washington for US-Iran peace talks being held in Pakistan. "We're going to try to have a positive negotiation," he told reporters before take-off from Joint Base Andrews. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive." (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)

US Vice-President JD Vance has said he would not watch the proposed livestream of the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.

Reuters reported on Friday, October 9, 2026, that Vance questioned whether the livestream would go ahead, despite the plan announced by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” Vance told reporters while campaigning in Ohio.

“If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it,” he added.

US President Donald Trump said at a White House event on Friday that Hasan would be executed by firing squad. However, Reuters reported that Trump had not commented on the livestream plan announced by Hegseth on Thursday.

The planned execution has drawn criticism from some Republican lawmakers and conservative strategists.

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Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina described the livestream proposal as “beyond disgusting” in a social media post.

“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do,” Tillis said. “It should not be happening in America.”

Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people in the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, where he opened fire with a handgun in a medical facility.

His execution is scheduled for December 3 at the same Texas military base, Reuters reported.

If carried out by firing squad, Hasan would become the first person to be executed by a US military firing squad since 1945, according to Reuters.

Tosin Oyediran is a journalist with Punch Newspapers, bringing over eight years of newsroom experience to his coverage of politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment. Known for sharp interviews and human-centered reporting, his work focuses on public accountability, civic issues, and the stories shaping everyday lives.

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