President Donald Trump is reviewing plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. The president has raised concerns about showing the event to the public, according to people familiar with private talks.
Trump supports the decision to execute Hasan by firing squad. However, he was not fully aware of the details when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first announced plans for a public broadcast last week.
Two sources said Trump later learned that Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. Hasan suffered a gunshot wound to his back during the 2009 attack at Fort Hood in Texas. The new information made Trump less comfortable with showing the execution live, the sources said.
Trump has since asked advisers and allies for their views. He is weighing whether a public broadcast could stop future attacks or create new risks.
The president has also heard concerns that a livestream could help terrorist groups spread propaganda. Such groups might present Hasan as a martyr and use the images to support their message, one Trump adviser said.
The White House pointed to Trump’s public comments on Saturday when asked about the latest discussions. Trump said he was considering both sides of the issue and would make the final decision.
“He was vicious. He was violent,” Trump told reporters while discussing Hasan. He said some people believed the execution should be shown to discourage others from carrying out similar attacks.
Trump also acknowledged that others wanted the event kept private. He said he understood the military’s preference but would decide how the government should proceed.
The Pentagon is also reviewing the broadcast plan, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Even if officials allow a livestream, it may end before the firing squad shoots Hasan.
The possible cut-off is linked in part to fears that images of the shooting could be used by terrorist groups. Officials are weighing the value of making the execution public against the risk of giving violent groups material for their campaigns.
Hegseth’s office has not provided a new statement on whether the Pentagon has changed its plans.
The proposal has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Officials within the Pentagon and the Army were also surprised by the announcement, according to earlier reporting on the issue.
Trump said on Friday that he had not been involved in the original decision to livestream the event. He added that he understood why officials supported the idea.
Some officials want the broadcast to serve as a warning to anyone who might consider a similar attack. Others fear that showing the execution could cause wider harm and give extremist groups a chance to shape the story.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens more in the November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos. The attack took place at the major US Army base in Texas and shocked the country.
Hegseth initially recommended that Hasan be executed by firing squad. Trump approved that method, according to officials familiar with the decision.
The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood. If it goes ahead as planned, it would mark the first execution of a US Army soldier since World War II. It would also be the first time in 65 years that the Army has carried out a death sentence against a member of the armed forces.
For now, the central question is whether the public will see the execution. Trump and Pentagon officials are still weighing the possible effects of a livestream.
The final decision will determine whether the event is shown in full, cut off before the shots are fired, or kept from public view. No final change to the broadcast plan has been announced.
