Trump Rules Out Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s December Execution

The decision means the scheduled execution will not be broadcast for the public to watch, although the US administration says the execution itself will proceed as planned.

US President Donald Trump has abandoned plans to livestream the execution of former US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.

Trump announced the reversal on Truth Social on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Hasan's execution remains scheduled for December 3, 2026, by firing squad at the military installation where the attack occurred.

The announcement reverses a controversial proposal previously promoted by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had said the execution would be livestreamed. The plan attracted criticism from people who objected to broadcasting a person's execution publicly.

Trump said he had considered the views of people who opposed showing the execution to a public audience.

In his Truth Social post, he argued that broadcasting the execution might have served as a deterrent against terrorism but acknowledged that many people did not want to watch someone die.

Trump wrote that Hasan would die as scheduled by firing squad, adding that the event would not be streamed.

The president also said members of the victims' immediate families could attend the execution in person if they wished.

“They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” Trump said.

The announcement changes how the execution will be presented to the public, but it does not cancel the scheduled punishment.

What Happened at Fort Hood in 2009?

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.

The shooting killed 13 people and injured 32 others, making it one of the deadliest attacks at a US military installation.

A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to death.

The case subsequently became a major subject of scrutiny over how US military and federal authorities assessed information about Hasan before the attack.

In his announcement, Trump criticised the administration of former President Barack Obama over its handling of intelligence concerning Hasan before the shooting.

Trump said the FBI had intercepted electronic communications between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric. He argued that investigators failed to recognise the potential significance of the communications.

According to Trump's account, investigators had concluded that Hasan's emails did not pose a threat.

The handling of the communications has been a longstanding subject of scrutiny surrounding the attack. However, Trump's criticism should be distinguished from the documented findings about what officials knew and how they assessed the information at the time.

The US Army announced that Hasan's execution was scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Standard Time on December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas.

The Army also confirmed that Trump approved the death sentence on October 2, 2026, after the military appeals process had concluded.

The decision not to livestream the execution does not change the published schedule. Any subsequent changes to the execution arrangements would need to be confirmed by the relevant authorities.

For the families of the 13 people killed in the attack, the case remains connected to the loss of loved ones nearly 17 years after the shooting. The latest announcement concerns the public broadcast of the execution, while the scheduled punishment remains in place.

The debate now centres on how justice should be carried out and whether an execution should ever be broadcast for public viewing.