Trump Reverses Pentagon Plan to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter's Execution

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the Pentagon will not livestream the December execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. The decision reverses a plan announced last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to broadcast the firing squad execution online, and it follows bipartisan backlash, criticism from human rights groups, and a poll showing 80 percent of Americans opposed the livestream.

Trump confirmed the reversal in a post on Truth Social, writing that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device." He added, "He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed." The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, according to the Pentagon.

Hasan was convicted of killing 13 unarmed military personnel and wounding 32 others in a shooting rampage at the Texas base on November 5, 2009. The attack was the deadliest non-combat assault on an American military base in history. Hasan, who was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot by police during the attack, admitted to the shooting during his 2013 court martial and said he was acting to protect Muslims and the Taliban.

The livestream plan drew immediate condemnation after Hegseth announced it last week. The United Nations called the proposal "abhorrent." Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis said, "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America." Republican Senator John Curtis warned that "a civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment."

Vice President JD Vance had already cast doubt on the plan, saying he was not sure whether the livestream would happen and that he would not watch it. Trump initially said he "absolutely" approved of the livestream, but hedged last week by saying the Pentagon was still "making a determination." On Thursday, after Trump's announcement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth had spoken with the president beforehand and that "the Secretary supports the President's decision, and they are completely aligned."

Trump said families of the victims can still view the execution in person if they wish. He also repeated his characterization of Hasan as a "very bad and evil man" and blamed the Obama administration for an "intelligence failure" ahead of the attack.

“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.”

: Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis

John Galligan, a lawyer for Hasan working primarily on civil issues, told the BBC that Trump's decision "comes as no surprise." He called the original livestream plan "a dumb decision" by Hegseth that violated Army regulations. Galligan added that Hasan is paralyzed from the chest down, something Trump "allegedly didn't even know" when he approved the livestream. "The damage has already been done," Galligan said. "It will permanently remain a stain on our military justice system."

The execution will be the first U.S. military execution in more than 60 years. U.S. military law requires presidential approval for a military execution, and appellate review must follow. The last widely recognized public execution in the United States was carried out in Kentucky in 1936.