Trump Touts Pastor’s Support for Hasan Execution Livestream as Pope Objects
PUBLISHED
OCT 10, 2026 AT 05:27 PM EDT
UPDATED
OCT 11, 2026 AT 09:39 AM EDT
By Steve Mollman
News Editor
President Donald Trump promoted a pastor’s biblical defense of livestreaming Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan’s execution on Saturday, even as the president said he would personally decide whether the controversial broadcast goes ahead.
Trump reposted a report featuring Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas and a longtime Trump ally, who argued that the public execution would demonstrate the sanctity of human life.
The post sharpened a divide among religious leaders after Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment and the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops directly condemned the proposed livestream.
It also came as opposition widened among Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans who support executing Hasan but oppose livestreaming it.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Saturday.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment