US Vice-President JD Vance has said he would not watch the proposed livestream of the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.
Vance made the remarks on Friday, October 9, 2026, while speaking to reporters during a campaign trip to Ohio, as controversy continued over the Pentagon’s plan to broadcast the execution publicly.
“I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” Vance said. “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”
His comments came after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that Hasan’s execution would be made available for public viewing.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that Hasan would be executed by firing squad but had yet to publicly comment on the livestream proposal.
Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others during a shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. He opened fire with a handgun inside a medical facility at the military base.
His execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, the same Texas military base where the attack occurred.
If carried out as planned, Hasan would become the first person to be executed by a US military firing squad since 1945, according to Reuters.
The proposed livestream has attracted criticism from some Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina described the proposal as “beyond disgusting”, arguing that public executions were associated with oppressive regimes.
The plan has also raised broader ethical concerns about broadcasting capital punishment and the potential impact on victims’ families and viewers.
Vance said that, while he opposed watching the proposed broadcast, he did not want the controversy over the method of execution to overshadow the crimes for which Hasan was convicted.
He described the 2009 attack as an exceptionally serious act of violence against military personnel who had been entrusted to his care.
The Pentagon’s proposal remains controversial, with questions continuing over whether the livestream will proceed as announced.
