Trump overrules Hegseth and scraps public livestream of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's firing squad execution

Trump intervened to scrap Pete Hegseth's plan for a televised firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan, restricting in-person attendance to the immediate families of victims. In a Truth Social post, the president said a livestream might deter terrorism but conceded that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die." A White House official said Trump had been unaware of Hegseth's announcement and only later learned that Hasan is paralysed. The execution remains set for 3 December 2026.

Fort Hood survivor Alonzo Lunsford, struck by seven bullets during the 2009 massacre, called Trump's reversal 'a positive move — we're not barbaric.'

Hegseth had announced the unprecedented public broadcast plan only days earlier, telling Real America's Voice that 'people need to understand there are serious consequences.'

The Pentagon insisted that Trump and Hegseth are 'completely aligned,' even as speculation about Hegseth's future has grown in Washington ahead of the midterms.