President Donald Trump said Thursday that the military will not livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others. The announcement overruled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had told reporters and social media audiences that the killing would be broadcast publicly.

What Trump changed

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said Hasan would still die by firing squad on the existing December schedule, but that the event would not be streamed. He framed the reversal as a response to Americans who did not want to watch a death online, even as he repeated his view that Hasan is a terrorist who deserves capital punishment.

Trump added that immediate family members of victims may attend the execution in person if they choose. That carve-out keeps a limited witness pool while dropping the Pentagon's plan for a mass audience through a live feed.

Hegseth's plan and the backlash

Hegseth had said on conservative media last week that the public would be able to watch the execution and the Defense Department confirmed a livestream was in motion. The idea drew criticism across the political spectrum, including from some Republican lawmakers, retired military leaders, and religious groups who argued that broadcasting a state killing would damage U.S. standing and violate military norms.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Trump and Hegseth spoke before the Truth Social post and are now "completely aligned." The statement was designed to show unity after days of headlines treating the livestream as settled policy.

Hasan was sentenced to death more than a decade ago for the Fort Hood attack. The Trump administration has moved aggressively to carry out military death sentences, and the December date would mark a rare use of the firing squad in modern federal practice.

Hasan's long-serving defense counsel has challenged multiple aspects of how the execution is being arranged. Thursday's shift removes one flashpoint—the public broadcast—but leaves open questions about witness rules, media access, and whether further court challenges arrive before December.

What happens next

The Army and the broader Defense Department must now issue revised guidance to victims' families, commanders, and legal teams. Congress may also press for hearings on who authorized the livestream and how White House staff learned of it.

For Trump, the decision is another visible correction of Hegseth, whose tenure has included other high-profile disputes with military lawyers and lawmakers. Keeping the execution on calendar while dropping the stream lets the president satisfy hard-line supporters on punishment without owning a spectacle that allies warned could become propaganda fodder overseas.

Victims' advocates said in-person viewing for families was appropriate but cautioned that logistics at the execution site must be handled with care. Media organizations that had prepared legal requests for pool access will now pivot to covering the policy fight rather than the broadcast itself.