Trump cancels plans to livestream Fort Hood shooter's execution

Oct 14, 2026

President Donald Trump announced on October 15, 2026 that the military will not livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, reversing a proposal by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hasan, who killed 13 people in 2009, remains scheduled to die on December 3, 2026 in the military's first execution since 1961. The cancellation follows bipartisan backlash and public polling showing 80% opposition to broadcasting the event.

Trump's updated execution plans

▪President Donald Trump confirmed that Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad on December 3, 2026, and that immediate families of the victims will be allowed to view the execution in person
▪President Donald Trump announced on October 15, 2026 that the scheduled December 3, 2026 execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed

Hegseth's livestream proposal and Trump's response

▪President Donald Trump privately expressed concerns about the optics of a public execution after learning that Nidal Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair
▪President Donald Trump was initially unaware that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth planned to announce the livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution and was caught off guard by Hegseth's announcement

Opposition to livestreaming the execution

▪An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on October 15, 2026 showed that 80% of U.S. adults, including 64% of Republicans, opposed livestreaming Nidal Hasan's execution
▪Republican Representative Austin Scott, Republican Senator Thom Tillis, and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly publicly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution, comparing public executions to actions by authoritarian regimes

Background on Hasan's attack and conviction

▪Before the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the FBI intercepted electronic communications between Nidal Hasan and radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, but an FBI task force initially concluded the emails were not a threat
▪Nidal Hasan was convicted by a military jury on 45 counts of murder and sentenced to death in 2013
▪Former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 others during a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood Army base in Texas