Trump Cancels Livestream of Hasan Firing Squad Execution — SkimNews
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- Trump reversed his earlier approval of livestreaming Hasan's execution, posting on Truth Social that 'many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die' and that the event will not be streamed though the execution will proceed as scheduled.
- Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US military personnel and injured 32 at Fort Hood, Texas on 5 November 2009 in the deadliest non-combat attack on an American military base; his December 3, 2026 execution by firing squad will be the first military execution in more than 60 years.
- The United Nations called the livestream plan 'abhorrent' and human rights groups condemned it, while Amnesty International data showed only two nations carried out public executions last year despite more than 2,700 executions across 17 countries.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had defended airing the execution online saying 'people need to understand that there's serious consequences,' but Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth spoke with Trump beforehand and 'supports the President's decision.'
- Hasan's lawyer John Galligan told the BBC the livestream decision was 'initially a dumb decision' that 'violated the Army's own regulation,' and revealed Hasan is paralysed from the chest down — a fact Trump 'allegedly didn't even know' when he approved the plan.
- Vice-President JD Vance had cast doubt on the livestream and said he would not watch it, while Trump noted victims' families can still view the execution in person, writing 'They deserve to witness JUSTICE!'
- US military law requires presidential approval and appellate review before any military execution can move forward, with Hasan having stated at his 2013 court martial that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Why it matters: The reversal averts a precedent-setting public military execution that drew UN condemnation, but the underlying December 3, 2026 execution still proceeds. The episode also exposed a gap between Hegseth's Pentagon and the White House on how the killing of 13 service members should be publicly processed, with the president's decision effectively overriding his own defense secretary's stated position.
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