Survivors react after Donald Trump makes huge decision on live-streaming Ford Hood killer’s execution

Donald Trump has decided not to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the man responsible for killing 13 people and injuring over 30 others in a November 5, 2009 attack at the Fort Hood military base.

Hasan, 56, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad in Fort Hood, Texas on December 3, with Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth announcing earlier in October that the public would be able to “watch it” on a livestream.

Amid the fierce debate that statement caused, Donald Trump then told reporters he “absolutely” approved of the plan to allow people to watch live as justice was done. Per NBC News, he later conceded he had yet to make a “final decision”.

It appears as though that decision has now been made, with Trump having confirmed that the execution will not be viewable to the public on livestream. The POTUS said the immediate families of his victims will be permitted to witness the execution in person but any plans to have it broadcasted have been scrapped.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: “I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.

“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump continued. “That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!”

And it seems very much like the survivors of the Fort Hood attack are onboard with the sentiment that broadcasting Hasan’s execution is a step too far.

Earlier this week, Kristopher Craig, brother of Army Private First Class (Pfc) Michael Pearson, among those to have lost his life in the November 5, 2009 incident, revealed that he had written to the White House urging them to “reconsider” a livestream of Hasan’s execution.

“Does witnessing another person’s death make someone less likely to commit violence? Does it make our communities safer? Or does it simply give the public another act of violence to watch, this time carried out by the government?” he wrote, as per Newsweek.

He went on to question the ‘purpose’ of the broadcast given it won’t bring his brother back, nor ‘restore the futures that were stolen from the 13 people’.

Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times by Hasan during the attack, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s decision not to go ahead with a livestream is a “positive move.”

“It proves that we are a better people, a better nation, and that we’re not barbaric,” Lunsford said. “We don’t glorify such actions.”

“For it to be made a spectacle for everyone to witness how they’re gonna do a tailgate or, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have a cookout and we’re gonna watch this man be put to death.’ No, it’s not about that,” Lunsford said. “It’s not a spectacle. It’s not a pay-per-view event or a WWE wrestling match or even a boxing match.”

Julia Wilson, meanwhile, was a civilian employee at Fort Hood when Hasan carried out his attack. She was nine months pregnant at the time, and said that it was only by the grace of God that she and her then-unborn child survived the rampage.

Speaking to Fox News Digital after Trump’s comments on Thursday, she said: “I’m ecstatic about that.

“I’m worried about other people’s mental health. I don’t think the government… really put a lot of thought into how this was going to go down and how it was going to transpire until today,” she added.

“I don’t think they really thought about how this may affect people. Seeing something like that affects your mental health. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you’ve seen. Seeing someone murdered in front of you or killed in front of you affects your mental health, whether they deserve it or not.”

Alonzo Lunsford finished by saying survivors will continue to live with reminders of the attack long after Hasan’s sentence has been carried out.

“I am no longer a victim of his,” Lunsford said. “I’m a survivor.”

Do you believe Trump is making the right call in ensuring Hasan’s execution is not live-streamed? Let us know in the comments.