Trump: No Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter's Execution
Is this long-overdue justice for Fort Hood victims or proof Trump governs by appeasing his base's worst instincts?
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Above: Stock photo of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, where Nidal Malik Hasan is being held on death row. Image credit: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
The Facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Thursday that the execution of Nidal Hasan, who fatally shot 13 U.S. soldiers and injured 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009, will no longer be livestreamed.
- Despite claiming that streaming it would serve as a "strong deterrent" against terrorism, Trump said he had decided against the proposal since "many very good and well meaning people" did not want to watch the execution.
- Nevertheless, the president added that the immediate family of the victims can watch the execution by firing squad in person, if they so choose, writing that they "deserve to witness JUSTICE!"
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The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Fixating on whether Hasan's execution would be livestreamed or not completely misses what is actually important. After waiting years, the victims and families of those who lost their lives on that fateful day on Nov. 5, 2009, will have the justice they deserve. Mass murderers and terrorists like Hasan are exactly what the death penalty is for.
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's total capitulation on livestreaming Hasan's execution was inevitable in the face of mounting public and political opposition. Regardless, it demonstrates that this administration governs solely to appease the very worst base instincts of its online base at the altar of misplaced faith in faux machismo.
