Trump reverses Pentagon’s plan to livestream Hasan execution

The planned execution of Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood, Texas, will not be livestreamed, President Donald Trump announced Thursday. 

“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. He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

The president’s decision was a reversal of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s initial announcement that Hasan’s execution would be livestreamed. Trump confirmed that Hasan’s execution will still be carried out by firing squad. Families of the victims will still be able to attend the execution in person, Trump said. It is still scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.

Hegseth initially announced the planned livestream last week, saying “we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it,” adding that the decision to broadcast the execution was a “no-brainer.” The Pentagon later confirmed the plans to broadcast the execution publicly.

“People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.

Hasan was sentenced to death by an Army tribunal in 2013. A former Army Major and practicing psychiatrist for the installation, Hasan entered a hospital on base at Fort Hood in November 2009 and opened fire with a handgun, killing 13 people. According to the Pentagon, Trump approved the use of a firing squad, after Hegseth recommended it as the method for the execution.

Hasan was shot by a police officer during the mass shooting and was left partially paralyzed and wheelchair bound.

Controversy over the decision to livestream came swiftly from religious leaders and former generals.

Amnesty International recorded at least 17 public executions in 2025 globally, including 11 in Iran and six in Taliban-run Afghanistan. For the 17th consecutive year, the USA was the only country in North America to execute sentenced criminals.

The last U.S. military execution took place in 1961, when an Army private was killed by hanging.