WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the planned firing squad execution of Fort Hood mass killer Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed to the public, walking back a plan championed by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that had triggered an extraordinary coalition of opposition spanning the Vatican, the United Nations, Republican senators, senior retired military commanders and his own vice president.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!”
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement after Trump’s announcement that “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth spoke about the decision to not livestream Hasan’s execution ahead of the Truth Social announcement.” The execution on 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas, the first US military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945, remains confirmed and on schedule.
What Did Hegseth Originally Announce And How Did Trump Initially Respond?
The reversal came after a week in which the administration had sent contradictory signals, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appearing at times to be speaking from different scripts.
Hegseth announced that Hasan would be executed by firing squad in December and that the public would be able to watch. “People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth told reporters, adding that the choice to execute Hasan by firing squad was a no-brainer.
Hegseth confirmed in an interview that “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.”
Trump said he had “absolutely” approved the livestream, but the next day said he had not made a final decision. That ambiguity, held for nearly a week, came to an end Thursday morning with Trump’s Truth Social post formally cancelling the broadcast.
Why Did The Livestream Plan Collapse So Quickly?
The opposition to the livestream plan was unusual in both its breadth and its speed. Within 72 hours of Hegseth’s announcement, it had drawn condemnation from institutions that rarely agree on anything.
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