President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the scheduled firing squad execution of Fort Hood mass murderer Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed, reversing a plan the Pentagon had announced earlier this month.
In a post on Truth Social, the president confirmed that Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at the Texas military base in 2009, "will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed."
Trump wrote that streaming the execution "might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan," but added that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device."
The president said the execution "may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose," according to his post and reporting from Fox News and the Associated Press.
A Pentagon Plan Reversed
The Pentagon announced on October 5 that Trump had approved Hasan's execution by firing squad at Fort Hood, with the date set for December 3, 2026. Pentagon officials subsequently told the Associated Press that the execution would be livestreamed, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision during an appearance on Real America's Voice on October 8.
"He's gonna get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be," Hegseth said. "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 announcement drew sharp criticism from human rights organizations, the United Nations, and some officials within the administration itself. ABC News reported Tuesday that some officials had "raised concerns about the optics of broadcasting an execution," particularly one in which a firing squad would shoot a paralyzed man confined to a wheelchair, and worried the footage could fuel anti-American propaganda among Islamic extremist groups.
Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson both said they would not watch the execution, according to ABC News."
The Crimes of Nidal Hasan
On November 5, 2009, Hasan opened fire at the Fort Hood processing center in Texas, killing 13 unarmed soldiers and civilians and injuring 32 others. Court records show Hasan told Army officials after his arrest that he had hoped to die during the attack and become a martyr, and said he would still consider himself a martyr if executed.
Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death. His execution would be the first military execution in more than 60 years and the first firing squad execution of a service member since World War II, according to the Associated Press.
Trump has consistently said the sentence should be carried out regardless of the livestream decision. "I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes," he said last week. "And I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him."
The White House has not released additional details about what in-person viewing arrangements will be made for the victims' families. It is not yet known whether the Pentagon will provide any official recording of the execution for archival purposes.
The decision comes as the administration continues to weigh the balance between transparency and the potential consequences of broadcasting state executions. According to Amnesty International, more than 2,700 executions took place across 17 countries last year, but only two nations — Iran and Afghanistan — carried them out publicly.
Our Take
Let's be clear about what matters here: Nidal Hasan murdered 13 American soldiers in cold blood and wounded 32 more. He admitted he wanted to be a martyr. He is finally going to face justice after nearly two decades of appeals, delays, and bureaucratic foot-dragging. That is the headline that should never get lost.
The livestream debate was always a distraction from that core truth. Hegseth was right that the world needs to understand there are serious consequences for terrorism against Americans. But Trump was also right to recognize that many decent people — including gold star families who have suffered enough — simply do not want to watch a man be shot to death on their screens, even a man who deserves it.The president made a judgment call. He weighed the deterrent value against the human cost, and he sided with the victims' families and the sensibilities of everyday Americans. That is leadership. He did not cave to the UN's "abhorrent" pearl-clutching or the predictable cries from the international left. He made the call himself, and he owns it.
What the detractors fail to understand is that this was never about putting on a show. It was about making sure that jihadists know that if you attack America, you will pay the ultimate price. That message still goes out loud and clear on December 3.
The only question now: After 17 years of waiting, will the families of the Fort Hood 13 finally receive the closure they have been denied for so long?
