Trump cancels Pentagon plans to livestream firing squad execution

“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” Trump said.

Among “well-meaning people” who influenced Trump’s decision was Vice President JD Vance. On Friday, Vance told press that if the livestream happened, “I’m not going to be watching it.”

Beyond the potential harms of exposing the public to psychological trauma, the Pentagon seemingly had not considered other challenges the livestream might pose, CNN reported.

For example, it was unclear if the event could be broadcast anywhere but the Pentagon’s site, since social media and broadcast channels have rules against content depicting graphic violence. And for soldiers ordered to join the firing squad, the livestream risked making it possible to identify them, CNN warned.

When Hegseth initially announced that the execution would be livestreamed, he was talking to right-wing podcaster Jack Posobiec aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Fresh off welcoming home soldiers who spent months in the Middle East, Hegseth told Posobiec, “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”

As of Tuesday, the Department of Defense had backed the secretary, confirming that details of the livestream would be shared soon, and the event would happen as Hegseth had announced.

However, Trump emphasized in interviews that it wasn’t up to Hegseth to decide if the livestream would happen the way the secretary of defense prescribed on the podcast.

“I’ll make a decision, ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we’ll make a decision,” Trump said Saturday.