Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he fully supports President Donald Trump’s decision to drop plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan. Hegseth insists Hasan will still get the death he “deserves” in December, and that the families of victims will be there to see it.
Hegseth spoke on Tuesday while traveling in Ohio and Wisconsin on his Arsenal of Freedom tour. It was his first public comment since Trump rejected the livestream idea. A reporter asked whether he was disappointed. Hegseth said he and Trump had talked it over at length and positively. He called Hasan “a terrorist, a traitor” who deserves death by firing squad, and said that is what he will get. The families will watch it, he said, and the execution carries a deterrent effect whether or not it is streamed. “So, I fully support the president’s approach,” he said.
The execution plan
Hasan is a former Army psychiatrist. He was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 in a 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas.
Earlier this month, Trump approved his execution by firing squad. The Army has set the date for Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. at Fort Hood. It is a rare method. If carried out, Hasan would be the first U.S. military prisoner put to death since 1961 and the first executed by firing squad since World War II.
Trump’s approval pushed the case into the next phase of the military death penalty process. Newsweek reported that more litigation in civilian federal court could still slow things down.
Why Hasan was convicted
The shooting came at the height of the global “War on Terrorism.” Investigators concluded that Hasan was driven by Islamic extremist beliefs. They point to emails he exchanged before the attack with Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric tied to al-Qaeda who later praised the massacre, as well as to Hasan’s own statements. At his court-martial, Hasan said he had acted to defend the Taliban and described himself as having “switched sides.”
How the livestream idea fell apart
Hegseth had pushed for the execution to be livestreamed. The proposal drew criticism from both parties. Trump had earlier told reporters he personally authorized it, but he then reversed course.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Hasan “a very bad and evil man” who would still die by firing squad. He said the event would not be streamed, even though he felt it “might have been a strong deterrent.” He added that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.” Immediate family members of the victims can watch in person if they choose, he said.
The turnaround followed intense pushback. The brother of a soldier killed in the shooting urged Trump to reconsider. Democrats were overwhelmingly opposed, and several Republicans, including several senators and representatives, broke with Trump over it. Vice President JD Vance also questioned whether the livestream would go ahead.
