Trump reconsidering calling off Nidal Hasan's execution livestream. Here's why

President Donald Trump and his advisers are weighing whether to call off the plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of carrying out the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, according to sources familiar with the discussions cited by CNN. Trump reportedly did not initially know that Hasan was paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. Two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN that the president was uncertain about the proposed public broadcast after learning more about Hasan’s physical condition.

Although Trump strongly supports executing Hasan by firing squad, multiple officials told CNN that he was unaware Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced plans to allow the public to watch the execution live. After Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon’s plans in a post on X last Thursday, Trump consulted several advisers and allies about whether the administration should proceed with the broadcast.

During those discussions, the president learned that Hasan had been shot in the back by law enforcement during the 2009 Fort Hood attack, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. One source familiar with the discussions said Trump’s understanding of the political and public impact of visual imagery could influence his decision to cancel the livestream. The president has also reportedly considered concerns that broadcasting the execution could provide terrorist groups and foreign adversaries with propaganda material, potentially allowing them to portray Hasan as a martyr, a Trump adviser told CNN.

Also Read: 'Don't ever mess with nature!': Trump’s tiger attack post triggers social media backlash as victim's family issues heartbreaking tribute

The White House referred CNN to Trump's remarks on Saturday, when he acknowledged that the administration was considering two approaches before making a final decision. “He was vicious. He was violent,” Trump told reporters about Hasan over the weekend. “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. So, I’ll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we’ll make a decision.”

Trump told reporters on Friday that he had not been involved in the decision but indicated that he understood the reasoning behind it. “I understand the decision,” he said, adding that some people want to set an example by livestreaming the execution. Hegseth initially recommended that Hasan be executed by firing squad, and Trump approved the recommendation. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas.

The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood. If carried out, it would mark the US Army’s first execution of a soldier since World War II and its first imposition of the death penalty on an active-duty service member in 65 years. Hasan, a US-born citizen of Palestinian descent, said he targeted soldiers he was scheduled to deploy with to Afghanistan. He said he wanted to protect the Taliban and its leaders from the US military.