President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the scheduled execution of convicted Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan will proceed by firing squad but will not be livestreamed, reversing a proposal that had drawn bipartisan criticism from lawmakers and retired military leaders.

Trump initially supported publicly broadcasting Hasan’s execution, arguing that showing the consequences of terrorism could serve as a deterrent. However, the president said he reconsidered after hearing concerns from Americans who did not want to watch the killing.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Truth Social
Credit: Truth Social

However, he acknowledged that many Americans objected to broadcasting the event. “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump declared.

Trump also said immediate family members of Hasan’s victims would be permitted to attend the execution in person if they wished. “They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” Trump wrote.

Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others during the Nov. 5, 2009, terrorist attack at Fort Hood, Texas. He was sentenced to death in 2013. His execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood and would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

The livestream proposal originated with Hegseth, who announced the plan Oct. 8 during an interview with Jack Posobiec on Real America's Voice. Hegseth argued that the public should see the consequences of terrorism.

“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,” Hegseth said.

The Pentagon subsequently confirmed plans to livestream the execution, although officials had not identified the platform that would carry the broadcast. Trump had approved Hegseth’s recommendation to execute Hasan by firing squad.

The proposal faced opposition from both parties, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson warned that footage of the execution could become a recruiting tool for terrorists, while Vance said he would not watch the broadcast.

Seventy-two retired senior military officers also signed a letter opposing the livestream, warning that turning an execution into a public spectacle could damage the military’s reputation and provide propaganda for extremists.

Trump initially expressed support for the broadcast but began reconsidering after hearing objections from lawmakers, advisers and others. Earlier this week, CBS News reported that administration officials were leaning against the livestream, although the president had not yet made a final decision.

In Thursday’s statement, Trump also criticized the FBI’s handling of Hasan’s communications with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric, before the 2009 attack. Trump said investigators intercepted communications between the two but determined that Hasan’s emails did not constitute a threat, a decision that was later criticized as an intelligence failure.

Trump called Hasan a “very bad and evil man” and highlighted the fact that one of the soldiers killed in the attack was pregnant, meaning her unborn child also died.

While the execution will proceed as scheduled, Trump’s decision means the event will not be broadcast to the public. Immediate family members of the victims will retain the option of attending in person.