President Trump said on Thursday that the firing squad execution of Major Nidal Malik Hasan would not be livestreamed.

U.S. Military Firing Squad Execution Of Fort Hood Shooter Will Be Public, Pete Hegseth Says

"Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army Major turned traitor, is a very bad and evil man, who killed 13 people, including a pregnant soldier, who died, along with her unborn son, and injured, very seriously, 32 more innocent people. Barack Hussein Obama’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intercepted electronic communications between Hasan and the radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"When reviewed by his FBI terrorism task force, investigators concluded that Hasan's emails were not a threat. This assessment of the Obama Administration’s actions was later considered to be a key intelligence failure. With all of that being said, I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device," he continued.

"He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!" he added.

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The Army sentenced Hasan, a former major, to death in 2013 for killing 13 people and injuring 32 others at Texas’ Fort Hood Army base in 2009.

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Trump’s reversal comes after widespread pushback from Republicans and Democrats alike after Hegseth said last week that Hasan is “going to get a firing squad of soldiers, and we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.” Some critics cited concerns about reinforcing Hasan’s stated desire for martyrdom; others argued that making the execution public was contrary to American values.

Signs that the plan could be reversed emerged quickly. A day after the defense secretary’s announcement, Vice President JD Vance said of the livestream, “I don’t know that’s going to happen.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House over the weekend, Trump said he would make the final call.

“There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it. ’Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. So I’ll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but I’ll make a decision,” the president said.

“Of course we’re doing it at Fort Hood. We’re going to do it on a Thursday. We’re going to do it at 1 o’clock, which is when he did it. It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,” Hegseth previously said.

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Congressional Republicans also urged Hegseth to reconsider, with some criticizing the move as something the Taliban or dictatorships might do — and one that could could inspire terrorist acts. The Pentagon has not staged a public military execution since the 1930s.

“Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a fierce critic of Hegseth, wrote on X last week. “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.”

The about-face came after Kentucky House Republican Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth for high crimes and misdemeanors, including the Iran war, the Trump administration’s boat strikes in the Caribbean and the Pentagon chief’s alleged suppression of free speech in his battle with Democrats over their calls for troops to refuse illegal orders.

Democrats are considering reviving a subcommittee to investigate the Pentagon — and Hegseth — if they win control of Congress in November.

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