The state of dissatisfaction escalated over the American plans to carry out a public execution by firing squad against Nidal Hassan, who was convicted of murder, after Vice President J.D. Vance questioned the possibility of broadcasting the operation live as proposed, stressing that he would not watch it if that happened, according to Agence France-Presse.
US Defense Department officials had said that Hassan - a psychiatrist in the US Army who killed 13 by shooting at a military base in 2009 - would be executed by firing squad, and that the execution would be broadcast live over the Internet.
Hassan's execution will be the first operation of this kind carried out by the US Army since 1961, and the first carried out by firing squad since World War II.
When asked about broadcasting the execution live, Vance told reporters that he did not “know if that would happen.”
He added: “This is a man who, in my opinion, committed the worst terrorist attack on American soil after the attacks of September 11, 2001,” but added that if the execution was broadcast live, “I will not watch it.”
Republican Representative Austin Scott also said that he supports the execution of Hassan, but he believed that “broadcasting executions live is what terrorists do... America is better than that.”
In turn, Senator Mark Kelly, a Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Hassan should “face justice,” but public executions are “practices similar to those carried out by Iran and the Taliban.” Is this the image we want to represent?
A Pentagon official told Agence France-Presse on Thursday that the execution would be broadcast live, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “We will make sure that people are able to watch it, and that it is public.”
But Trump on Friday contradicted Hegseth's statement and said that no decision had yet been made about broadcasting the execution publicly, something Trump supports.
He added: “They are in the process of making a decision about that, but he will be killed.” “I don’t really care how it gets done, as long as it gets done.”
YouTube, Meta, and X did not immediately respond to Agence France-Presse’s requests for comment on whether they would allow the execution to be broadcast on their platforms.
As for TikTok, it referred the French Press Agency to its policy that prohibits showing “violent incidents and bloody scenes,” including “shooting a person.”
For its part, the United Nations said on Friday that the decision of American officials to broadcast the execution of Nidal Hassan live on the Internet may amount to torture.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a letter received by Agence France-Presse that: “Live broadcasting of an execution is equivalent to carrying out a public execution, and constitutes a violation of the absolute prohibition of torture.”
Nidal Hassan, an American of Palestinian origin, opened fire on November 5, 2009 inside a medical center at Fort Hood, in order to prevent soldiers from participating in a war that he considered “illegal” in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The attack, which was carried out by what was described as a “lone wolf” linked to Al-Qaeda, led to the death of 13 people, including 12 soldiers, and the wounding of about 30 people.
A military jury sentenced Hassan to death in 2013 for carrying out a mass shooting at Fort Hood in an attack inspired by Al-Qaeda.
During the trial, the sessions revealed that Hassan was communicating via the Internet with a figure believed to belong to Al-Qaeda, the extremist American preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011 in a raid launched by an American drone in Yemen.
From the complex corridors of the law firm in California to the consulting seats in the Chinese capital, Beijing, all the way to the leadership of the media arm of the digital empire, “Truth Social,” Katie Zakaria charted a journey full of absolute loyalty to the “America First” movement, culminating this exciting political ascension by ascending to the most important platform in the world.
US President Donald Trump announced the appointment of this 42-year-old conservative lawyer and media personality as the new official spokeswoman for the White House, describing her as a “sincere and loyal supporter of the MAGA movement.”
Zakaria comes to this high-ranking position burdened with challenges, succeeding former spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt, to become the new face of the American administration and the voice defending its policies against the strongholds of the global press. She becomes the sixth person to assume this task during the two Trump administrations.
Western roots and academic career
The new spokesperson is of American and Sicilian origins, and always describes herself as a native Californian, having been born and raised in Los Angeles in 1984, in a conservative family environment filled with values of religious commitment and community service.
Zakaria received her entire university and higher education in her home state, specifically at the prestigious Pepperdine University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2007, before pursuing her academic passion at the same institution to obtain a doctorate in law in 2011 from the Caruso School of Law, where she currently serves as a member of the Dean’s Council. In appreciation of her excellence. Zakariya is also married and has four children.
Zakaria's interest in American politics began at an early stage in her academic life, where she chaired the College Republicans Organization, worked as an intern at the Republican National Committee in 2006, and also spent an internship in the corridors of the White House during the administration of former President George W. Bush.
Professional stations and experience between media and law
Before ascending to the White House press podium, Zakaria moved between prominent political, legal, and media positions that gave her a wide network of relationships and solid practical experience. Since June 2026, she has served as the chief communications advisor for Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of the Trump-owned Truth Social platform. She also served as general legal advisor for the conservative Fix California, an organization founded by Richard Grenell, a close Trump ally and former special presidential envoy.
On the government side, she had experience in the US Department of Homeland Security as a spokeswoman for the department and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs under the leadership of former Secretary Kristi Noem.
Her experience was not limited to the American interior, but rather extended internationally, as she spent three years in the Chinese capital, Beijing, as an external advisor to the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation in a major law firm, and this was accompanied by a permanent appearance as a political and legal analyst on conservative networks, such as “Fox News” and “Newsmax,” in addition to her numerous contributions on the “CNN” network.
Successor to whom? Levitt leaves the podium for the television screens
Katie Zakaria takes over from Carolyn Leavitt, who made history as the youngest White House spokeswoman at twenty-seven years old when she took office in January 2025 with Trump's return to power.
Levitt left her position in late August, following the birth of her second child, to spend more time with her family, before it was recently announced that she would officially join Fox News as a political analyst and prominent on-screen contributor, starting next November.
Huge tasks at a critical time
Zakaria faces a busy schedule and daunting responsibilities that extend beyond the famous podium in the White House press briefing room.
Its primary tasks are focused on formulating the official speech of the US administration, managing daily briefings for media professionals, and constantly explaining the administration’s policies while publicly defending President Trump’s positions.
Her appointment comes at a time when the relationship between the Trump administration and major media outlets is witnessing intense judicial and political tensions, which requires her to lead the Communications Office with great efficiency and provide direct media advice to the President at a precise time that coincides with the ongoing preparations for the midterm congressional elections.
