President Donald Trump said Nidal Malik Hasan will die as scheduled by firing squad, but the event will not be streamed. He said streaming the execution might have been a strong deterrent, but many good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die through streaming or any other visual device. He said the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims if they so choose. He posted the statement on Truth Social on Thursday. No matching release appeared on a White House page.
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump wrote Thursday. “That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” The post does not cite an Army order or a regulation. The decision is his.
The Army order is on the record. On Oct. 7 the Army issued an execution order for Hasan, the former major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shootings that killed 13 people. The Army Public Affairs release stated that the Acting Secretary of the Army directed the execution by firing squad at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. CST, after President Trump approved the death sentence on Oct. 2. Army Regulation 190-55 limits who may view a military execution to certain categories, including journalists and relatives, and excludes persons under 18. The regulation does not address a livestream. Trump’s post does not cite the order or the regulation. It states that the event will not be streamed.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said the Pentagon planned to make the execution public. On Oct. 8 he said “He’s gonna get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be” and “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.” He said “People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” Those remarks are on the public record from multiple reports of his statements that day. Trump’s post does not cite Hegseth’s statements. It states that the event will not be streamed and that immediate families may view it in person.
The last U.S. military execution was in 1961, when a private was hanged after being convicted of rape and attempted murder. The last military execution by firing squad was in 1945, when Private Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion. Those dates are on the historical record. The Army order for Hasan is the current document. It sets a firing squad for Dec. 3. It does not mention a livestream. Trump’s post does not cite the prior executions. It states that this event will not be streamed.
No Defense Department release posted this week confirms a change in the livestream plan or addresses Trump’s statement. Hegseth’s earlier public comments on making the execution public predate the Truth Social post. The Army order remains the document that sets the method and the date. It does not mention a livestream.
Trump has previously addressed the Fort Hood case. The Thursday post describes Hasan as a former Army major who killed 13 people, including a pregnant soldier, and notes the FBI’s handling of communications with Anwar al-Awlaki. The post does not cite prior statements. It is limited to the decision that the event will not be streamed and that families may attend in person.
No White House release posted this week elaborates on the decision or confirms a change from the earlier public statements by Hegseth. The Truth Social post is the record of the president’s position. It states that the execution will proceed by firing squad but will not be streamed.
“Will not be streamed,” “viewed in person by the immediate families,” and “They deserve to witness JUSTICE” are Trump’s. The Oct. 7 Army order, AR 190-55, Hegseth’s earlier statements on a public execution, and the absence of a same-day Defense Department confirmation of a change are the records. The gap is between the president’s statement that the event will not be streamed and the absence of a formal Pentagon release confirming the reversal of the earlier public plan on a government page.