Trump Says Hasan Execution Will Not Be Livestreamed

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will not livestream the scheduled firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, reversing an earlier plan to broadcast it. Trump said immediate family members of the victims could attend in person if they wished. The execution remains scheduled for Dec. 3, according to the Pentagon. Trump announced the change in a social-media post, saying that although a broadcast might serve as a deterrent, many people would not want to watch Hasan die. He said the execution would proceed by firing squad but would not be streamed. The Pentagon declined to elaborate beyond Trump’s statement. The Pentagon had previously said the execution would be livestreamed, following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that it would be public. The plan drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as religious leaders and retired military officers. Vice President JD Vance said he would not watch and had expressed doubt that the broadcast would take place. House Speaker Mike Johnson also said he would not watch. The dispute concerned broadcasting the execution, rather than Hasan’s death sentence.