Trump scraps Hegseth's Fort Hood execution livestream after 80% of Americans opposed it in poll
Nidal Hasan (left), who killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, faces a firing squad execution on 3 December — the first US military execution in more than 60 years.Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, in October 2026. Trump has since overruled Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream Hasan's execution, saying many well-meaning people "would rather…
President Donald Trump has reversed Pete Hegseth's plan to broadcast the firing squad execution of Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan, saying "many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die." The U-turn came after a Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 80 per cent of US adults opposed the livestream, and 72 retired generals and admirals warned it would turn Hasan into a "martyr." Hasan, who killed 13 soldiers including a pregnant servicewoman and wounded 32 at the Texas base in 2009, will still be executed by firing squad on 3 December — the first US military execution in over 60 years.
Trump had previously said he "absolutely" approved the livestream, calling it a potential "strong deterrent for the World."
Victims' families will be allowed to watch the execution in person, with Trump declaring they "deserve to witness JUSTICE!"
Hegseth's CREC church leader Douglas Wilson backed the original plan, saying he "prefers public executions to private."
