Trump rejects Hegseth's bid to stream firing squad execution

Jeff Mason, Bloomberg News on Oct 15, 2026

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump rejected plans to livestream the execution of a former Army major who killed 13 people in 2009, overruling Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal after facing intense bipartisan backlash.

Trump said Thursday the execution would proceed, and that it may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, “but this event will not be livestreamed.”

“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,” the president posted on social media.

Hegseth announced last week that Nidal Hasan’s execution by firing squad would be broadcast publicly. The U.S. stopped public executions decades ago and critics argued that livestreaming the killing of Hasan, who is confined to a wheelchair, would look barbaric and amount to a propaganda win for extremist groups.

Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, in Nov. 2009, killing 13 and wounding more than 30 before he was shot in the back and subdued. He’s set to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3. Hasan has said he wants to die a martyr, and Hegseth’s critics argued that a livestream would fulfill that wish.

Vice President JD Vance was the most prominent administration figure to express doubt about the plan and said he wouldn’t watch. Trump approved of the idea at first, but later expressed doubts about it amid public criticism. The conservative-leaning opinion page of the Wall Street Journal also published an op-ed opposing the livestream.

“It would give this individual, who deserves no further notoriety, the martyrdom he seeks,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, wrote on X. “How we carry out justice matters just as much as the justice itself.”

The idea put renewed scrutiny on Hegseth, who has used his position as defense secretary to emphasize what he says is a more lethal fighting force and to champion Trump’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion practices. His livestream announcement prompted Democrats to renew calls for his removal. Many have voiced plans to try to impeach him if they gain control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm election.

Trump’s decision not to broadcast the livestream also allows the military to avoid a host of legal challenges. Most social-media platforms prohibit disseminating videos and images that show death or glorify violence.

—With assistance from Gregory Korte.