President Donald Trump said Thursday that the planned execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will not be livestreamed, reversing the Pentagon’s earlier announcement that the military execution would be broadcast to the public.
“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, before acknowledging that many people would rather not watch Hasan die. “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.” Trump added that immediate family members of the victims may attend the execution in person if they choose.
The decision follows the Pentagon’s earlier plan to livestream the execution, which drew criticism from public figures and opposition from lawmakers, military leaders and religious organizations. An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released Thursday found that 80% of Americans opposed broadcasting it. Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 shooting, is scheduled to be executed at Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 3.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly championed the broadcast last Thursday, arguing that making the execution public would demonstrate the consequences of terrorism. “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 said during an interview with Real America’s Voice.
The proposal drew objections from both parties, including concerns that footage of the execution could become propaganda for extremist groups. House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged opposition among Republican lawmakers and said he planned to raise their concerns with the White House. Vice President JD Vance also distanced himself from the broadcast, saying he would not watch if it went forward.
The administration had already begun reconsidering the plan before Thursday’s announcement. CBS News reported Tuesday that Trump administration officials were leaning against livestreaming the execution, while ABC News reported that some officials feared the broadcast could fuel extremist propaganda or turn the execution into a public spectacle.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist convicted and sentenced to death in 2013, would become the first U.S. military prisoner executed since 1961 if the execution proceeds as scheduled. The military last carried out an execution by firing squad in 1945.