Trump makes final decision on livestreamed execution of Nidal Hasan
President Donald Trump has confirmed whether the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed on December 3, 2026. In November 2009, Hasan opened fire on a soldier processing center at Texas' Fort Hood, using an FN Five-seven pistol and killing 13. Among them was Private Francheska Velez, who was pregnant at the time. During a 2013 court-martial, Hasan admitted to the shooting and said it was done to protect Taliban leaders and Muslim forces from the US military's deployment to Afghanistan.
Nidal Hasan was sentenced on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, resulting in the U.S. military's first planned execution in over six decades.
Will Nidal Hasan's firing squad execution be streamed live?
There have been questions about whether Hasan's December 3, 2026, firing squad execution would be livestreamed, but posting on Truth Social, President Donald Trump confirmed this won't be the case.
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The President of the United States explained: "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."
Confirming that Hasan will be executed as planned via firing squad, he reiterated it won't be streamed.
The immediate families of the Fort Hood victims will be able to watch the firing squad execution in person.
Opinions remain split on Hasan's firing squad execution
According to CNN, Trump and his advisors were debating calling off the livestream, with the POTUS apparently unaware that Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down because he was shot during the Fort Hood incident.
Despite Trump supposedly being firmly behind Hasan's execution via firing squad, it's also said that he didn't know Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was announcing that the general public would be able to view the livestream.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll showed that 80% of surveyed US adults were apparently against the idea of a live execution. 2,545 people were surveyed, with just 18% supporting the livestream.
Elsewhere, Pope Leo XIV shared his thoughts on World Day Against the Death Penalty on Saturday. Here, the head of the Catholic Church reaffirmed teachings on capital punishment and referred to Hasan's execution as "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" on X.
The Pope was backed up by Roman Catholic Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is the archbishop for military services. Broglio released a statement maintaining that any Catholics assigned to the firing squad should “request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church.”
Others like US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Markwayne Mullin defended the livestream option when he told CBS's Face the Nation: "I don't see an elevated risk. I think people need to understand that if you attack America, we will come after you, and we will make sure that the punishment fits the crime."
It was already unclear whether Hasan's execution would be shown on major platforms. Meta, Twitch, and YouTube didn't respond when asked if they'd stream the live firing squad, while TikTok directed questions to its policies banning “shocking and graphic content."