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

President Donald Trump has canceled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

In an October 15, 2026, Truth Social post, Trump said Hasan would still be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, but the proceedings would take place without a public livestream. Immediate family members of the victims may attend in person if they choose.

The president said broadcasting the execution might have served as a deterrent but acknowledged that many people opposed watching Hasan die. His decision followed objections from lawmakers in both parties, religious leaders and victims' families. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell subsequently said Trump and Hegseth were aligned on the decision.

Hegseth had argued that Americans should be able to witness the punishment imposed on Hasan, whose shooting at the Texas military installation on November 5, 2009, killed 13 people and wounded 32 others.

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that footage could be used as terrorist propaganda, while Vice President JD Vance questioned the plan and said he would not watch it. Republican Rep. Austin Scott and Democratic Rep. Adam Smith also opposed the broadcast. Some survivors argued that televising Hasan's death would turn the punishment into a spectacle.

The proposed livestream also raised questions about the military's authority to broadcast an execution. Army Regulation 190-55 identifies authorized witnesses, including military officials, attorneys, victims' relatives, and news media representatives, but contains no express provision for livestreaming. Its sample media advisory prohibits media witnesses from bringing recording devices into the witness room.

The regulation further restricts attendance by minors and requires the military to protect the identities of execution personnel, creating potential complications for cameras inside the execution chamber.

Although Trump canceled the livestream, Hasan's scheduled execution by firing squad remains governed by a separate legal framework. The Supreme Court upheld execution by shooting against an Eighth Amendment challenge in its 1879 decision in Wilkerson v. Utah, while military regulations authorize the Army secretary to designate the method of execution.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the Archdiocese for the Military Services, separately urged Catholic service members to seek exemptions from participating in the firing squad, citing the church's opposition to capital punishment.

Under military law, the president has sole authority to approve a military death sentence before execution. Army regulations then require an execution date between 60 and 150 days after approval. Trump approved Hasan's death sentence on October 2, 2026, and the Army confirmed on October 7 that Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle had ordered his execution for December 3 at 1 p.m. Central Time.

A military jury convicted Hasan on August 23, 2013, of premeditated murder and attempted murder in connection with the Fort Hood shooting. He was sentenced to death five days later. The Supreme Court declined to review his court-martial conviction on March 31, 2025, leaving the military judgment in place.

The December 3 proceedings would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first carried out by a military firing squad since 1945.