Trump Cancels Livestream of Nidal Hasan Firing Squad Execution After Public Backlash

President Donald Trump announced on 15 October that the firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, scheduled for 3 December 2026 at Fort Hood, will not be livestreamed. The decision reverses a plan publicly outlined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had said the public would be able to watch.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 unarmed soldiers and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on 5 November 2009. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a military court. The execution will be the first by the U.S. military in more than 60 years. Hasan was shot during the 2009 attack and has been paralyzed from the waist down since then; he uses a wheelchair.

Hegseth told an interviewer earlier in October that the execution would be shown so people would understand there are serious consequences. Pentagon officials confirmed a livestream was planned. Trump had initially said he approved of the idea, but later expressed reservations after learning of Hasan’s paralysis and after criticism from members of both parties, religious leaders and some victims’ families. Vice President JD Vance said he would not watch.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that streaming the execution might have served as a deterrent but that many people would rather not watch Hasan die. He confirmed the execution would still take place by firing squad and that immediate family members of the victims could attend in person if they chose. No other country is known to broadcast judicial executions.

Critics of the livestream plan argued that broadcasting the death could create propaganda material for extremist groups and that public executions run against American practice. Some Republican lawmakers and former military officers also raised concerns. Trump’s reversal came after bipartisan objections mounted and after private discussions in which he was informed of Hasan’s physical condition.

The families of the 13 people killed will be able to view the execution on site, consistent with standard practice at U.S. executions. The Pentagon has not released further details on the exact procedure or security arrangements for 3 December. Hasan remains at the military detention facility at Fort Leavenworth.

The episode highlights tensions inside the administration over how far to go in publicising the first military execution in decades. Trump’s decision keeps the event closed to cameras while preserving the option for victims’ relatives to be present. The firing squad method itself was approved earlier in October after the military justice process concluded.