Trump Cancels Livestream of Nidal Hasan Execution by Firing Squad

President Donald Trump announced on 15 October 2026 that the planned livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution will not take place. Hasan, a former Army major, is scheduled to die by firing squad on 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas. Immediate family members of the victims will still be allowed to watch in person if they choose.

Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at the Fort Hood base in 2009. The Pentagon had announced last week that the execution would be livestreamed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a firing squad of soldiers would carry out the sentence and that the public would be able to watch. No other country is known to televise or livestream judicial executions.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that streaming the execution might have served as a strong deterrent by showing how the United States deals with terrorists. He added that many good and well-meaning people would rather not watch Hasan die through any visual device. The president said the execution will proceed on schedule but will not be streamed. He said the families of the victims deserve to witness justice.

The livestream plan drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, from religious leaders, and from some of the soldiers who survived the 2009 attack. Vice President JD Vance said he would not watch it and expressed doubt that the broadcast would actually occur. Seventy-two retired generals, admirals and other senior officers publicly urged the administration to drop the plan. Some critics argued that a public broadcast could reinforce Hasan's desire for martyrdom. Others said a televised execution conflicted with American values.

White House officials said Trump and his advisers had not known about the livestream plan when Hegseth announced it. The president initially expressed support but later reconsidered after learning that Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down. Trump's main private concern was whether a broadcast would actually deter future mass shootings. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Trump and Hegseth spoke before the announcement and that the two remain aligned.

The execution will be the first military execution in more than 60 years. It is scheduled for 1 p.m. on 3 December at the same base where the 2009 shootings occurred. Hasan has been in custody since the attack. He was sentenced to death by a military court. The reversal marks a rare public disagreement between Trump and Hegseth, although officials said the secretary supports the president's final decision.

Some of the wounded soldiers who survived the Fort Hood attack had opposed the livestream. Religious leaders also condemned the plan. Trump said only the immediate families of the victims will be permitted to attend in person. The decision ends the prospect of the first widely viewable U.S. execution since the 1930s.