Why Trump called off the execution livestream

By Easton Martin

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the planned execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will not be livestreamed to the public after the Pentagon’s proposal generated widespread controversy. The execution itself remains scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood in Texas and will proceed by firing squad unless subsequent legal developments alter the timeline.

Trump’s decision reverses an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week that the military would broadcast the execution. Hegseth had argued that making the execution public would demonstrate the consequences of terrorism and serve as a deterrent against future attacks.

n a Truth Social post, Trump acknowledged that a public broadcast might have a deterrent effect but said many Americans would prefer not to watch the execution. He confirmed that Hasan would still face the death penalty as scheduled, while the livestream would be canceled. The reversal followed objections from several prominent political figures and religious leaders. Vice President JD Vance expressed reluctance to watch the broadcast, while House Speaker Mike Johnson also raised concerns about the proposal.

A Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos poll released Thursday found that approximately 80 percent of Americans opposed livestreaming the execution.

Concerns also emerged over whether broadcasting the execution could turn a military punishment into a public spectacle or provide propaganda material for extremist organizations. The proposal had raised additional questions because the military has no established precedent for livestreaming an execution to the general public.

Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 of murdering 13 people (though including an unborn child, he murdered 14) and attempting to murder 32 others during the November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood. The attack targeted soldiers preparing for deployment and remains one of the deadliest shootings on a U.S. military installation.

The Army’s planned execution would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first military firing-squad execution since 1945. Families of the victims are expected to retain the opportunity to attend the execution in person even though the general public will not be able to watch it live.

Trump’s announcement settles the immediate question of whether the execution will be broadcast, although potential legal challenges could still affect the scheduled date. For now, the administration intends to carry out the sentence without turning the execution into a publicly streamed event.