Donald Trump is reportedly weighing whether the U.S. military should livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and injured 32 at Fort Hood in 2009. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said he wants the event to be publicly visible, citing a desire that anyone can see the punishment. Hegseth’s view has been echoed by Reverend Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas and a longtime informal adviser to the president, who said he supports the Pentagon’s decision to livestream the execution.
Jeffress has framed the proposal as a religious duty, stating that “Capital punishment is commanded by God in Genesis 9:6 to remind people of the sanctity of human life.” He added that the biblical command “whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed” underscores the need for the ultimate penalty. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Jeffress said he would watch Hasan’s killing and argued that a live‑streamed broadcast complies with Christian scripture, claiming that the more people who see it, the better it is.
Other faith leaders have responded with caution or opposition. Evangelist Franklin Graham compared the live‑streamed execution to Hollywood depictions of violence and questioned whether society has become desensitized to death. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, warned that a public execution could turn a solemn duty into a spectacle that promotes a culture of death. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the plan as a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death,” while Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy of the Catholic Mobilizing Network warned that such a display would echo the horrors of lynching and authoritarian public executions.
Hasan is scheduled to be killed on December 3, marking the U.S. military’s first firing‑squad execution since 1945. At least six soldiers have sought religious exemptions from being selected as riflemen, with up to 180 service members expected to file similar requests. Vice President J.D. Vance said he would not watch the execution and questioned the practicality of a livestream. Trump indicated that he would make a determination about the broadcast but reiterated his support for the death penalty, stating that Hasan will be executed by firing squad and that he does not care how it is carried out.
