The Pentagon plans a public execution, but Trump must block it

By Adele Rutherford · Reporting from Atlanta · October 12, 2026

As the Pentagon moves to broadcast the execution of Nidal Hasan, the White House must reject retributive spectacle and return capital punishment to the sober administration of the law.

The spectacle of state violence under a digital lens

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Real America's Voice that the Pentagon planned to publicly livestream the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad. He offered a crude justification. As reported by Axios and Fox 5 DC, Hegseth stated that people need to watch it because there are serious consequences for these types of things. That reasoning reduces criminal punishment to a performance. Hasan murdered 13 people at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Texas. The state has every right to exact a lawful sentence for crimes of that magnitude. But turning the administration of capital punishment into a web broadcast crosses the line from sober retributive justice into unvarnished digital theater. Public executions were discontinued in the United States in the 1930s for reasons of basic civil order and human dignity. A rule that only works while your side holds the streaming keys was never a rule at all.

The parallel of private administration and state restraint

This country abandoned public executions because the state learned that public spectacle invites chaos rather than deterrence. End of public executions in the United States shows a consistent historical pattern. The state transitions from public spectacle to private administration to avoid the risk of creating martyrs or inciting civil disorder. The execution of Timothy McVeigh in 2001 set a modern baseline for federal accountability. Viewability was strictly limited to a private closed-circuit telecast for survivors and loved ones, contrasting sharply with the proposal for an open public livestream. The strongest opposing case for the Pentagon's plan rests on the argument of deterrence. It suggests that an unshielded view of state power might stay the hand of future mass shooters. As former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent warned in reporting by ABC News, streaming the death gives terrorist groups free propaganda to radicalize and recruit more operatives. John Cohen, a former Homeland Security official, similarly noted that martyrdom is often the objective for such attackers. A livestream yields minimal deterrence while offering maximum exploitation value to our adversaries. When the state broadcasts a firing squad, it hands its enemies a recruiting poster on a silver platter.

Bipartisan revulsion and the executive branch retreat

The reaction to Hegseth's announcement brought swift condemnation from across the political spectrum, alongside international warnings. Sen. Thom Tillis called the plan beyond disgusting, as detailed by Fox 5 DC and ABC News. He remarked that public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do, and that it should not happen in America. Sen. Lisa Murkowski similarly urged the Pentagon to reverse the decision, according to CBS News. She noted there is no need to livestream any execution, including this one. Meanwhile, the European Union warned online platforms against violating content rules under the Digital Services Act if they carry the footage. That warning sets up a sharp regulatory collision reported by France 24. Inside the White House, President Donald Trump has pulled back from the brink of this folly. As Axios reported, Trump told a confidant that a livestream might not happen. He did not sound particularly enthusiastic. A senior administration official confirmed that Trump received negative input from bipartisan lawmakers and advisers. Vice President JD Vance stated publicly that he does not know if it will happen. Vance added that he will not be watching it.

The White House must formally countermand the Pentagon's directive. It must confine the viewing to a closed-circuit feed for survivors and families as was done in 2001. The administration must reject the temptation to turn a military execution into internet content.

The Pentagon plans a public execution, but Trump must block it

The spectacle of state violence under a digital lens

The parallel of private administration and state restraint

Bipartisan revulsion and the executive branch retreat

Sources