Trump scraps plans to livestream Nidal Hasan execution

US President Donald Trump has scrapped plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan.

“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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

Last week, the Pentagon announced that Hasan would be executed by firing squad on 3 December 2026, with the event livestreamed. The decision prompted a wave of criticism in the US and internationally by human rights groups and others. 

Vice-President JD Vance had also expressed doubts about whether the livestream would go ahead, saying that, even if it did, he would not watch it.

The United Nations also described the plans as “abhorrent”.

Trump said the victims’ families could still witness the execution in person if they wished, adding that “they deserve to witness JUSTICE!”

In 2009, Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US military personnel and injured around 32 others at a military base in Texas. The execution by firing squad will be the first of its kind in more than 60 years.

More than 2,700 executions were carried out across 17 countries last year. According to Amnesty International, public executions were reported in only two countries, with 11 known to have taken place in Iran in 2025 and another six in Afghanistan.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision to livestream Hasan’s execution, saying that “people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things”.

As the backlash intensified, Trump appeared to soften his stance. On Friday, he said he had “absolutely” endorsed the livestream proposal, while noting that the Pentagon was still “making a determination” on whether to proceed.

The president also described Hasan as “totally nuts” and said he was indifferent to how he died, adding that he considered the death penalty an entirely appropriate outcome.

According to the BBC, following Trump’s announcement that the plan had been scrapped, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that Hegseth had spoken to the president before the decision was made.

John Galligan, Hasan's lawyer, told the BBC that Trump's decision to cancel the livestream of his execution did not come as a surprise. 

"It was initially a dumb decision and statement by Hegseth to livestream any execution and it violated the Army's own regulation," Galligan said.