Trump Cancels Livestream Plan for Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution, Raising Questions About Hegseth’s Future

President Donald Trump has canceled plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

President Donald Trump reversed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. [Photo: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, SECWAR Flickr]

The reversal has raised questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s standing within the administration. Hegseth had publicly advocated allowing people to watch the execution, arguing that it would demonstrate the consequences of terrorism.

The proposal prompted criticism from lawmakers, military figures and other observers.

Trump announced on October 15 that Hasan would still face execution by firing squad, but the event would not be streamed publicly.

He said immediate family members of the victims could attend in person if they wished.

The decision marked a setback for Hegseth, although the White House has not announced that the defense secretary is being dismissed.

Hegseth’s spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the secretary supported Trump’s decision and that the two were aligned. A poll conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos found that approximately 81 percent of Americans opposed livestreaming the execution.

The survey also found that a narrow majority supported carrying out the execution by firing squad.

Hasan, a former Army major, was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of premeditated attempted murder for the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood.

The attack targeted soldiers preparing for an overseas deployment.

Trump also criticized the Obama administration’s handling of intelligence about Hasan’s contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric who later became associated with al-Qaeda in Yemen.

The FBI had reviewed communications between Hasan and al-Awlaki before the shooting, but investigators did not identify the messages as grounds for a criminal investigation at the time.

The administration’s handling of the execution proposal comes amid broader criticism of Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon, including disputes over military operations and defense policy.

However, claims that Hegseth’s job is in immediate danger remain speculative.

The cancellation demonstrates a disagreement over the livestream proposal, but it does not by itself establish that Trump intends to remove him.