Trump cancels livestream of Fort Hood shooter execution by firing squad

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed, abruptly reversing a plan championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that had drawn intense bipartisan backlash.

While the unprecedented public broadcast has been scrapped, Hasan remains scheduled to die by firing squad on December 3. Trump stated on Truth Social that the event may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims if they so choose, adding, They deserve to witness JUSTICE!

The swift reversal strips authority away from Hegseth, who had been outwardly enthusiastic about broadcasting the execution. Last week, Hegseth defended the proposal on Real America’s Voice, stating, And 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. The Pentagon subsequently confirmed plans to stream the killing live.

Trump initially backed the idea, telling reporters on Friday, Did I approve? Absolutely. By Saturday, however, the president signaled he was weighing opposing pressures, noting, There are two thoughts: Don’t show it and show it. Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. So, I’ll make a decision ultimately.

Behind closed doors, Axios reported that Trump grew unenthusiastic after receiving negative feedback from lawmakers and advisers who warned against turning the execution into a public spectacle. Sources also noted that the president had not initially realized Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair after being shot by law enforcement during the 2009 rampage.

Bipartisan Backlash and Global Comparisons

The proposed broadcast ignited sharp condemnation across the political spectrum, with critics comparing the spectacle to tactics used by terrorist groups and oppressive regimes.

Outgoing North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis wrote on X, Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting. Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.

Republican Representative Austin Scott of Georgia similarly posted, I absolutely support the sentence of death, but livestreaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that.

Democratic lawmakers voiced identical concerns. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona stated, A public execution? Here in the United States? It’s the kind of thing Iran and the Taliban do. Is this who we want to be associated with? Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut asked on CNN, That’s disgusting. What, is he mimicking ISIS executions?

Even members of Trump’s own administration and leadership distanced themselves from the format. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Friday, Whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people. Now that said, I mean, look, if it’s all through livestream, I’m not going to be watching it. House Speaker Mike Johnson also told CBS News, I wouldn’t be watching it if it was aired.

Opposition also emerged from survivors of the attack. Army Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford told BBC Radio 4’s Today, To show the whole thing without it being censored for the general public, for me personally, I don’t agree with that.

Weighing the Optics of Deterrence Versus Spectacle

In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump defended his original rationale while acknowledging the mounting public unease:

I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan, but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.

Donald Trump, U.S. President, via Truth Social

Trump also used the post to criticize former President Barack Obama, pointing to Federal Bureau of Investigation electronic communications between Hasan and the late radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki that were intercepted before the attack but ultimately deemed not to be a threat by an Obama administration task force.

The Path to December 3

On November 5, 2009, Hasan opened fire at a crowded medical building at Fort Hood, Texas, shouting Allahu akbar as he targeted soldiers waiting to receive medical clearance and vaccines for deployment. He killed 13 people — including a pregnant soldier whose unborn son also died — and injured 32 others. A military jury convicted him on 45 counts of murder and attempted murder in 2013 and sentenced him to death.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a death sentence cannot be carried out without presidential approval. Trump signed off on the execution by firing squad earlier in the month. The event will mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961, and the first federal execution by a firing squad since 1945. While outlets reported conflicting locations for the upcoming proceeding, noting Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the U.S. military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the lethal event remains set for December 3.