Trump hesitates on Defense Secretary's plan to livestream Fort Hood execution
President Donald Trump is reportedly uneasy about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal to broadcast the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood attacker Nidal Hasan.
According to insiders, President Donald Trump is reconsidering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood attack that killed 13 soldiers. Hegseth announced the execution would be the first military death sentence carried out since 1961 and that it would be broadcast so the public could see the consequences. Trump, who initially expressed enthusiasm, is now hearing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers and advisers and appears less certain about proceeding.
Senators Thom Tillis called the proposal “beyond disgusting,” while Senator John Curtis warned it could erode civilization by turning execution into entertainment. Vice President JD Vance said he would not watch the livestream and emphasized the need to remember Hasan’s crimes. The president is reportedly weighing whether a public execution would serve as a deterrent or inadvertently create a martyr, and he plans to make a final decision soon.
Why it matters
The decision could set a precedent for how the U.S. handles capital punishment and public transparency in military justice.
How this story developed
- Oct 1 A grim tally of botched executions from hanging mishaps to lethal-injection failures
- Oct 5 President Donald Trump has approved a firing squad execution for former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooter.
- Oct 6 Pentagon announced the execution will be carried out by firing squad.
- Oct 7 Execution date set for Dec 3.
- Oct 8 Pentagon confirmed the execution will be livestreamed.
- Oct 9 British cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson called the US decision to livestream a firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan "disturbing" and reiterated Britain’s opposition to capital punishment.
- Oct 9 Survivor Alonzo Lunsford voiced support for the execution method while warning that a livestream could be misused.
- Oct 9 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that the execution will be carried out by firing squad and streamed online.
- Oct 9 Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle confirmed the execution date and firing‑squad method.
- Oct 10 State leaders announced a review of execution methods following the failed lethal injection.
- Oct 11 President Trump said the decision on whether to livestream the execution remains pending.
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