Trump reveals decision on Fort Hood gunman's execution and it's not what Hegseth planned at all

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the bipartisan backlash over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement that the federal government will livestream the firing squad execution of a mass shooter, President Donald Trump has scrapped the idea.

In early October, Hegseth, in an interview with a right-wing media outlet, announced that the firing squad execution of a convicted mass shooter would be made "public" through a livestream.

Trump says Nidal Hasan's execution will not be streamed

President Donald Trump has abandoned plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan, overriding the idea put forward by the Pentagon chief.

In a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday, October 15, the president said Hasan would still be executed by a firing squad as scheduled, but any sort of live public broadcast would not happen.

“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with T********s and S**M like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” Trump wrote.

The president continued: “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.”

President Trump also maintained that immediate family members of Hasan’s victims would still be permitted to witness the execution in person if they wished.

What the law says about livestreaming an execution

The main legal challenge to livestreaming a federal or military execution is that US law does not have clear rules regarding allowing such broadcasts.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), capital sentences require presidential approval. While the president and Defense Department have the authority to carry out military executions, Congress has never passed a law allowing executions to be publicly livestreamed.

Regulations strictly limit who may physically witness an execution. Authorized personnel generally include: the execution squad and facility command officers, the condemned prisoner’s legal counsel and military chaplain, designated representatives of the news media acting as pool witnesses, and representatives from the families of the victims.

The firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan will take place on December 3 at 1 pm local time. Hasan killed 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.