Public execution opposition grows as Trump expresses private misgivings
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump shakes hands with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Sparrows Point, Maryland, on Oct. 6. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
The plan to livestream the firing squad execution of the convicted Fort Hood shooter is garnering mounting discomfort from the Catholic Church, the Hill and survivors of the shooting.
The big picture: President Trump even has apparent qualms over holding the first public execution in the U.S. in some nine decades after receiving a deluge of bipartisan concern, Axios' Marc Caputo reported.
Case in point: Catholic clergy leadership have been outspoken against the decision — and the death penalty broadly — including the military's archbishop, Timothy Broglio.
- "It is my duty to express my disapproval of what is proposed regarding the execution of the terrorist [Nidal] Hasan in the Archdiocese entrusted to my spiritual care," he said in a Monday statement.
- He raised a series of questions about the potential dangers of publicizing an execution, such as, "do we really want to imitate the terrorists of this world and make a public spectacle of barbarically killing our adversaries?"
What they're saying: The Pentagon declined to comment on the backlash, but an official reiterated that the execution would be livestreamed.
Zoom out: He's not alone in his wariness. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a staunch loyalist to the president, expressed concern in an interview with CBS News that the footage could be "a recruiting tool for future terrorists."
- He echoed Vice President JD Vance in saying he wouldn't watch it if it were aired.
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voiced her opposition on X Friday, writing, "How we carry out justice matters just as much as the justice itself, so I urge the Pentagon to reverse this gruesome decision."
- Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) also spoke out Friday, warning against "turning an execution into entertainment."
Catch up quick: The swift backlash came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Real America's Voice in a Thursday interview that the Dec. 3 execution would be "public."
- Multiple outlets later reported that the Pentagon said the execution would be livestreamed.
- Trump initially gave the plan a clear endorsement, but he's privately expressed that it might not happen — and a source told Axios he doesn't sound "particularly enthusiastic" about it.
Friction point: Some survivors of the 2009 military base attack, where Hasan killed 13 people, are on board with the execution — but have questioned the idea to make it public.
- Retired Army Staff Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot multiple times in Hasan's rampage that day, told CNN "death by hiring squad is warranted."
- But he added, "For him to be put to death and it to be made a public spectacle. No, I disagree with that. It's not something where it's like a pay-per-view event."
Go deeper: Hegseth's public execution plan meets the age of viral violence
