Trump to Decide Fate of Fort Hood Execution Livestream

The execution of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan is still set for December 3. What is no longer certain is whether the American public will be allowed to watch it happen.

President Donald Trump said over the weekend that the final decision on livestreaming the firing squad execution rests with him — and fresh reporting suggests he is now leaning toward calling the broadcast off.

Trump Says the Final Call Is His

Speaking to reporters, Trump made clear he had not yet settled the question of whether the execution would be shown live. He said he could see the argument on both sides: keeping it private, or putting it on camera so it might discourage others from carrying out similar attacks.

“I’ll make a decision, ultimately,” the president said, adding that he was aware of what the military would prefer but that the choice would be his.

That framing marked a shift. Just days earlier, the Pentagon had confirmed that the execution would be livestreamed, and Trump himself had said he approved the broadcast plan. Now the president is publicly weighing whether to reverse course.

Why the President Is Having Second Thoughts

According to CNN, Trump began reconsidering the livestream after learning a key detail about Hasan’s condition: the former Army psychiatrist has been paralyzed from the waist down since the 2009 attack and now uses a wheelchair.

Sources told the network that the detail changed the optics of a public broadcast for the president, who is known to pay close attention to how events look on camera. Another concern raised by advisers was that airing the execution could hand adversaries or extremists material to portray Hasan as a martyr.

The White House has pointed to Trump’s weekend remarks as the latest word on the matter, without confirming whether a final decision has been reached.

How We Got Here

Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. It was one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out on a U.S. military installation. A military court convicted him in 2013 and sentenced him to death. The case then spent more than a decade working through the appeals process.

Earlier this month, Trump approved execution by firing squad on the recommendation of War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Army set the date for December 3 at Fort Hood, with the execution scheduled for 1 p.m. local time — the same hour Hasan opened fire in 2009.

Hegseth then announced the Pentagon intended to livestream the event, arguing the public should see that serious crimes carry serious consequences. A Pentagon official confirmed the broadcast plan shortly afterward.

If the execution goes forward, it will be the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961 and its first by firing squad since the 1940s.

Pushback From Unlikely Voices

The livestream idea has drawn criticism from across the political and religious spectrum.

Vice President JD Vance said he was not convinced the broadcast would actually happen, and added that if it did, he would not watch it.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, went further, issuing a statement expressing disapproval of the planned execution and warning of “moral injury” to the service members assigned to carry it out. He also said Catholic soldiers ordered onto the firing squad should ask to be excused.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the archbishop’s statement.

What Happens Next

For now, the execution itself remains scheduled. Only the broadcast is in doubt. Trump has the final say as commander in chief, and whatever he decides will set a precedent — the military has not executed anyone in more than six decades, and it has never livestreamed one.

The families of the victims have waited nearly 17 years for the sentence to be carried out. Whether the rest of the country watches it happen is now a decision sitting squarely on the president’s desk.

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