California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign on Thursday, using a two-sentence post on X to seize on the Pentagon’s now-scrapped plan to broadcast the firing-squad execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan. The post landed on the same day President Donald Trump overruled Hegseth and canceled the livestream, ending a plan that had drawn criticism from Republicans, religious leaders and the public.
What Newsom Said
Newsom published the post at 12:03 p.m. on October 15, 2026. It reads in full:
“It’s good to know we can all agree they’ve “gone too far” when they want to execute someone live on TV.
Resign, Pete Hegseth.”
The post placed the phrase “gone too far” in quotation marks and did not say whom it was quoting. It followed more than a week of criticism of the livestream plan from both parties, and it came after the White House reversed course.
How the Plan Unfolded
The controversy began on October 5, when Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced that Trump had approved death by firing squad for Hasan. Hasan was convicted in 2013 of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 in the November 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle then set the execution for December 3 at Fort Hood.
Days later, Hegseth said in an interview that the execution would be “public.” “He’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be, and we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said. The Pentagon subsequently confirmed the proceeding would be livestreamed.
Bipartisan Pushback
Criticism came quickly from within Hegseth’s own party. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, wrote on X that he supports Hasan’s death sentence but called a livestream “beyond disgusting.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, urged the Pentagon to reverse what she called a “gruesome decision,” saying there was “no need to livestream any execution, including this one.” House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that footage could become a “recruiting tool for future terrorists.” Vice President JD Vance said Hasan deserved to die but that he would not watch a livestream.
Democrats went further. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona called for Hegseth’s removal “immediately,” saying the livestream plan, along with the Pentagon chief’s “maximum lethality” campaign, further justified it. Kelly had called for Hegseth’s resignation before.
Trump Steps In
On Thursday, Trump scrapped the plan. In a social media post, he wrote that streaming the execution “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.” He added: “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.” A White House official said Trump and his advisers had been unaware of the livestream plan. Opinion polls showed a majority of Americans opposed it, and Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees spiritual care for Catholic members of the armed forces, also raised objections. No other country is known to televise or livestream judicial executions.
The reversal marked Trump’s first major public split with Hegseth, though the Pentagon said the two were “completely aligned.” “The Secretary supports the President’s decision, and they are completely aligned,” Parnell said in a statement, adding that Trump spoke with Hegseth before announcing the decision. Hegseth had earlier said broadcasting the execution was needed so people understand that “there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” Victims’ families will still be able to attend in person, as is standard at U.S. executions.
Newsom’s Record on Hegseth
Newsom’s demand continues a long run of public clashes with the defense secretary. In June 2025, after Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Newsom sent Hegseth a letter calling the deployment “unlawful” and a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” He later sued Trump, Hegseth and the Department of Defense over the deployment. When Hegseth threatened to send active-duty Marines, Newsom wrote that the Secretary of Defense was “now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior.”
The attacks continued in subsequent months. After Hegseth told senior officers at Quantico in September 2025 that it was unacceptable to see overweight generals, Newsom posted an image of Trump with the caption “IT’S COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO SEE A FAT COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE!” In August 2026, after Hegseth’s response to military families’ concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Newsom wrote on X: “Has Pete Hegseth done a drug test lately? Why are the results not public?”
Resignation and Impeachment Calls
A review of public records did not turn up any effort by Newsom to pursue impeachment of Trump or Hegseth. As a governor, he has no formal role in federal impeachment proceedings, which begin in the House of Representatives. Other Democrats have moved on that front: Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona filed six articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April over the Iran war, alleged war crimes and his handling of classified information. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York said Democrats would pursue “incredibly aggressive oversight” of the Pentagon if they win the House.
Pressure on Hegseth has not been limited to Democrats. Tillis called on Trump in September to replace him, while Trump has continued to say Hegseth is “doing a fantastic job.” Midterm elections on November 3 will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress.
Newsom and the Death Penalty
Newsom’s position on capital punishment is documented. In March 2019, he signed an executive order placing a moratorium on executions in California, withdrawing the state’s lethal injection protocol and closing the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. “Our death penalty system has been, by all measures, a failure,” he said at the time, adding that it is “unevenly and unfairly applied to people of color, people with mental disabilities, and people who cannot afford costly legal representation.” That order covers California’s state death row and has no bearing on military executions. A search of public records did not locate any statement from Newsom specifically addressing Hasan or the 2009 Fort Hood attack.
What Comes Next
The execution remains scheduled for December 3. Legal experts have said Hasan could delay it by years by filing a habeas corpus appeal in federal court, and an attorney for Hasan could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. Capital punishment in the U.S. was already facing renewed scrutiny after Tennessee’s failed attempt last month to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection, which left her badly injured and hospitalized.