Trump cancels livestreamed execution amid backlash |
Trump cancels livestreamed execution amid backlash
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It’s Thursday. As always, there is a lot to cover today. Let’s dive in.
Execution livestream canceled
Execution livestream canceled
Zacharia’s legal credentials
Programming note: We’re Claire Leibowitz and Abigail Walker, filling in for Cate today. Please send us your tips, comments and story ideas to cleibowitz@thehill.com or awalker@thehill.com.
🏛️ IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Trump says ‘many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die’
The Associated Press | Alex Brandon
President Trump on Thursday announced that the execution of Fort Hood shooter U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan would no longer be livestreamed.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president said that victims’ immediate families would still be able to view the Dec. 3 firing squad execution in person, adding, “They deserve to witness JUSTICE!”
Not a fan: Polling released Thursday found that the decision to livestream the execution was unpopular among Americans.
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 80 percent of respondents opposed the choice and only 18 percent approved.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced last week that the execution of Hasan, who killed 13 people on the Texas Army post in 2009, would be public, prompting bipartisan backlash.
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth told Real America’s Voice last Thursday.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
New Fox News poll has Trump approval at lowest point ever:
New polling from Fox News found Trump’s overall approval rating at its lowest ever across both terms, with Americans particularly frustrated with the economic matters.
The survey released Wednesday found that 36 percent of respondents approved the president’s job, while 64 percent disapproved.
Among key issues, Trump’s management of inflation was lowest, with only 22 percent approval compared to 36 percent in a Fox News survey done last summer.
Seventy percent of Americans were dissatisfied with the president’s overall handling of the economy and 69 percent disapproved of his tariff-related policies.
Trump scored highest on border security—where respondents were split 50-50 on his job.
The Fox News poll is the latest in a series of lackluster surveys and poses a potential bad omen for the GOP as the midterms quickly........