President Donald Trump is reportedly reconsidering the decision to have the military execute Nidal Hasan in a public firing squad.
Sources told Axios that the president is seeking advice on whether to allow the military to proceed with the planned execution. Hasan is on death row after he carried out a mass shooting in 2009 at Ft. Hood military base in Texas. He killed 13 people and wounded several more.
Why it matters: Trump has been deluged with "negative input" about the idea from a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers as well as advisers inside and outside of his White House, a senior administration official said.
A livestream of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan's execution on Dec. 3 "might not happen," Trump told one confidant, who doesn't work in the administration and shared the comment with Axios.
"He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic" about webcasting the execution, the source said. "That's why he's calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think."
NEW: President Trump has privately shared misgivings about livestreaming the firing-squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter, according to four people who have spoken with the president. https://t.co/dcmpU216HO
— Axios (@axios) October 12, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that the execution would occur on December 3.
“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.
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President Trump is privately expressing doubts about livestreaming the December 3 firing-squad execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan, who murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack. Axios reports. Trump initially supported the broadcast but is reconsidering following bipartisan criticism. Vice President JD Vance has also expressed skepticism, while Trump is reportedly concerned that broadcasting the execution could turn Hasan into a martyr. Officials expect Trump to reject the livestream proposal.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) October 12, 2026
President Trump initially supported the plan, responding, “Did I approve? Absolutely,” when asked about authorizing the livestream.
President Trump is privately expressing doubts about livestreaming the December 3 firing-squad execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan, who murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack. Axios reports. Trump initially supported the broadcast but is reconsidering following bipartisan criticism. Vice President JD Vance has also expressed skepticism, while Trump is reportedly concerned that broadcasting the execution could turn Hasan into a martyr. Officials expect Trump to reject the livestream proposal.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) October 12, 2026
The idea kicked off a deluge of reactions. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle criticized the decision, saying it could turn Hasan into a martyr. Others pointed out that it resembles the type of spectacle favored by authoritarian governments like the Iranian and North Korean regimes.
Vice President JD Vance indicated that he doubted the livestream would occur and said he wouldn’t watch it.
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