President Donald Trump on Friday offered the American public a front-row question it never expected to face — and then seemed unsure how to answer it. A day after the Pentagon announced it would livestream the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, the president endorsed the execution itself while sending mixed signals on whether cameras will actually roll.

"Well, they're making a determination about that, but he will be killed, it will be through firing squad," Trump told reporters before departing for a rally in Syracuse, New York, The Hill reported. "He killed 13, 14 people, badly wounded 20-some-odd people and he's totally nuts. So, I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes, and I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him."

The remarks marked a noticeable wobble. The Pentagon had announced Thursday that Hasan's execution, set for December 3 at Fort Hood, would be livestreamed to the public — an unprecedented broadcast of an American execution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed: "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public." Trump had approved the firing-squad method itself, saying Friday he did so "absolutely".

Backlash from both parties

The livestream plan drew fierce criticism from both Republicans and Democrats — a rare bipartisan convergence on a death-penalty controversy. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wrote on X that he supports the death penalty for Hasan, "but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting." He added: "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America."

Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) called Hegseth's plan "a gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters" and "absolutely shameful and damaging to America's interests and core values."

Vice President JD Vance also distanced himself. Speaking to reporters Friday in Lima, Ohio, Vance said of the livestream: "I don't know if that's actually going to happen," and added that he would not be watching.

What Trump actually said

At a Christopher Columbus Day celebration at the White House earlier Friday, Trump endorsed the execution in blunt terms. "Death penalty through firing squad, and he deserves it," he said, according to USA Today. "Killed and wounded many, many people. A maniac."

Asked whether he had approved the execution, Trump replied: "Did I approve? Absolutely." But it was unclear whether he meant he had approved the method, the livestream, or both. He did not answer when a reporter asked whether he would watch the broadcast.

Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood in 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 32 — one of the deadliest attacks ever on a US military installation. He has been on military death row since his 2013 conviction. The execution would be the US military's first in more than six decades and its first by firing squad since World War II.

Why the hesitation matters

The White House appeared to be feeling the political heat. The decision lands amid an already combustible national debate over capital punishment, intensified by the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee earlier this month. Legal experts note that no country is currently known to livestream a legal execution, and media attempts to televise American executions have historically been blocked by courts.

Whether the broadcast goes ahead may now hinge on internal deliberations Trump himself referenced — the "determination" still being made inside his administration. With the December 3 date fixed, the question is no longer just how Hasan dies, but whether the entire nation is invited to watch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Nidal Hasan?

Nidal Hasan is a former US Army major and psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. He has been on military death row since his 2013 conviction.

What did Trump say about the livestream?

Trump endorsed the firing-squad execution ("he deserves it") but said Friday that officials are still "making a determination" on whether it will be livestreamed — a softer stance than the Pentagon's Thursday announcement that it would be broadcast publicly.

Who has criticised the livestream plan?

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called it "beyond disgusting," Democratic Sen. Jack Reed called it "a gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters," and Vice President Vance said he wouldn't watch it.

When is the execution scheduled?

December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas — the same base where the 2009 attack occurred, at a time the Pentagon says deliberately mirrors the original assault.