US President Donald Trump has halted plans to livestream the execution of former Army major Nidal Hasan, overruling Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth after the proposal triggered resistance from Republicans, religious leaders and much of the public.
The decision scrapped plans to broadcast Hasan’s 3 December execution by firing squad.
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It also exposed a rare public rift between Mr Trump and one of his most prominent allies, though the Pentagon insisted the pair remained “completely aligned.”
Mr Hegseth had announced that the execution would be livestreamed from Fort Hood, the Texas military base where Hasan carried out his 2009 attack.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Trump and his advisers had not known about the livestream proposal before it was made public.
“I think streaming the execution for all to see 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,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.”
Relatives of Hasan’s victims will still be permitted to attend the execution in person, should they wish to do so, in line with standard practice at US executions.
Several Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, joined religious leaders in voicing concerns that ranged from reservations to outright condemnation of the Pentagon’s plan.
Opinion polls indicated that most Americans opposed broadcasting the execution.
Nidal Hasan was found guilty in a military trial of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is responsible for the spiritual welfare of Catholic members of the US armed forces, also objected to the proposal. Pope Leo has separately condemned capital punishment in all circumstances.
An attorney for Hasan was not immediately available for comment. It was also unclear whether legal challenges could postpone the execution scheduled for 3 December.
A split with Hegseth
The episode represented Mr Trump’s first significant public break with Mr Hegseth, a close ally of the president.
Despite the disagreement, it remained uncertain whether the dispute would threaten Mr Hegseth’s political standing given his relationship with Mr Trump.
The Pentagon said Mr Trump had discussed the decision with Mr Hegseth before announcing it on Truth Social.
“The Secretary supports the President’s decision, and they are completely aligned,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
The controversy comes as capital punishment in the US faces renewed scrutiny. Last month, Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder in the 1990s, survived two lethal-injection attempts in Tennessee, suffering serious injuries that required hospitalization.
Trump seeks death penalty for anyone who kills firefighter
A military jury convicted Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, of premeditated murder after he fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers and wounded 32 others inside a medical facility at the sprawling base.
Police officers shot Hasan during the attack, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. He now uses a wheelchair.
Mr Hegseth had argued that televising the execution would make clear that “there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
The 3 November midterm elections will decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress, as opinion polls show voters expressing growing disapproval of Mr Trump’s policies.
Senator John Curtis, a Utah Republican, described the cancellation as “the right move.”
US Representative Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the original livestream proposal represented “a profound failure of moral judgment and basic human decency.”
Separately, President Trump said he wants the death penalty imposed on anyone who kills a firefighter.
Mr Trump, who has previously advocated capital punishment for people convicted of killing police officers, made the remarks at a White House Rose Garden lunch honoring firefighter organizations.
The president said he had instructed the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty in such cases, specifically against “anybody that murders a firefighter going up a ladder.”
