MS NOW host Stephanie Ruhle urged President Donald Trump on Friday to reconsider the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the scheduled execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 at Fort Hood in 2009. Ruhle’s appeal focused on broadcasting the execution, not on whether Hasan’s death sentence should be carried out.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the plan to make the firing squad execution public, saying Americans should see that such attacks have serious consequences. The Pentagon later confirmed it intended to livestream the execution, scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. Trump approved the death sentence on Oct. 2, but as of Saturday he had not made a final decision on whether the livestream should go ahead.
During her Friday program, Money, Power, Politics, Ruhle asked whether a judge could intervene. Correspondent Jonathan Lemire argued that showing a wheelchair-using Hasan being executed could damage the country’s reputation and provide propaganda for extremist groups. Ruhle closed the segment by directly asking Trump to reconsider the broadcast.
The proposal has drawn criticism from both parties, including some people who support Hasan’s death sentence but oppose turning the execution into a public spectacle. Vice President JD Vance said he was unsure the livestream would happen and that he would not watch it. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called the idea “beyond disgusting,” while survivor Alonzo Lunsford has said he wants to attend the execution but opposes livestreaming it.
Others support making the execution public. Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress endorsed the livestream, arguing that people should be able to see the punishment. Some commenters in Texas online forums also said they were willing to watch and argued that showing the consequences of mass violence could deter future attackers. Those views reflect support for the proposal, though they do not establish that a public broadcast would prevent future violence.
The disagreement has also exposed a divide among people who favor capital punishment. Some say a public broadcast could make the consequences of murder visible; others argue it risks turning a government execution into entertainment, reopening trauma for victims’ families and giving extremists material to exploit. Reuters reported that the United Nations human rights office condemned public executions as cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.
Trump’s approval of Hasan’s death sentence followed the completion of the military appeals process, according to the Army. The execution is scheduled to take place by firing squad at Fort Hood, where the 2009 attack occurred. The military has not yet released details about how the livestream would work, and the White House had not confirmed whether Trump would authorize it as of Saturday.
