President Donald Trump initially backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal to broadcast the convicted Fort Hood shooter’s execution, arguing that Americans should be able to watch him die.
Now, amid growing criticism from Republicans, Democrats, and administration insiders, Trump got second thoughts, leaving Hegseth to defend a proposal that critics have compared to public executions carried out by terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes.
Trump has privately indicated that the unprecedented plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan “might not happen,” according to Axios. By Tuesday, the President kept his promise, stroking his authority.
Trump made clear on Truth Social that the execution would 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,” Trump wrote.
The shift comes after Trump publicly endorsed the idea, only to begin distancing himself from the decision as opposition mounted, putting Hegseth’s proposal under growing pressure.
The controversy began last week when Hegseth announced that Hasan, 56, would face the first U.S. military execution since 1961, with the public potentially able to watch it livestreamed online.
A jury convicted Hasan of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
Hegseth defended the broadcast as a way to demonstrate the consequences of such violence.
“And we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” during an interview on “Real America’s Voice.”
Trump initially appeared enthusiastic about the idea. Asked Friday whether he had personally approved the livestream, he responded, “Did I approve? Absolutely.”
He also supported the death sentence itself, saying during a White House event, “Death penalty through firing squad, and he deserves it.”
But the president’s public position became less certain as criticism spread. In an interview Friday night with WSTM-TV in Syracuse, New York, Trump said, “I wasn’t involved in that decision, but I understand the decision.”
He added, “I guess they want to have it serve as an example, and I understand that very well.”
By Saturday, Trump was acknowledging that the final decision remained his to make.
“There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it. Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did,” Trump said. “So, I’ll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we’ll make a decision.”
According to Axios, people close to Trump have heard him express reservations about the plan after receiving negative feedback from lawmakers and advisers both inside and outside the White House. One confidant said the president did not sound “particularly enthusiastic” about the proposal.
“That’s why he’s calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think.”
The president is caught between a desire to punish Hasan and concerns about the consequences of making his death a public spectacle, the report said.
“The president wants the bastard to pay, and a public execution might be that extra humiliation [Hasan] deserves,” one confidant told Axios. “At the same time, he doesn’t want to make the guy a martyr.”
Another source questioned whether livestreaming the execution would serve any useful purpose.
“This is an old dude in a wheelchair we’re shooting,” the source said. “We want to livestream that?”
Police left Hasan partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair after shooting him during his arrest. A military jury sentenced him to death in August 2013 after finding him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder.
The proposal has drawn unusually sharp criticism from Republicans who support Hasan’s death sentence but oppose broadcasting his execution, according to CBS News.
Outgoing North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth, said the controversy had deepened his regret over that vote.
“Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting,” Tillis wrote on X. “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis also urged Hegseth to reconsider.
“Seneca warned that Rome’s bloody spectacles corrupted the people who watched them,” Curtis said on X. “A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment.”
Republican Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia similarly drew a distinction between supporting the sentence and broadcasting the killing.
“I absolutely support the sentence of death, but livestreaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that,” Scott wrote on X.
Democrats were equally forceful in their criticism. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut condemned the proposal during an appearance on CNN.
“That’s disgusting. What, is he mimicking ISIS executions?” Murphy said.
Vice President JD Vance has also distanced himself from the broadcast without challenging Hasan’s punishment.
“Whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” Vance told reporters Friday.
“Now that said, I mean, look, if it’s all through livestream, I’m not going to be watching it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson likewise indicated that the proposal lacked unanimous Republican support.
“I wouldn’t be watching it if it was aired,” Johnson told CBS News.
“I need to tell the White House what some of my colleagues think about that, and not everybody’s in favor of the idea,” he added.
Hasan will be executed by firing squad on Thursday, December 3.
