President Donald Trump said Saturday that he hasn’t yet made a final decision on whether to livestream the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who in 2009 killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas.
“There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it. Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. So I’ll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but I’ll make a decision,” the president told reporters at the White House.
He also spoke about Hasan’s crime, saying, “He’s a vicious killer — killed 13 people in cold blood, wounded over 20. Some of those people will never have their lives back in a true sense.”
Trump’s comments came a day after he told reporters that he “absolutely” approved the livestream plan announced earlier in the week, which has drawn skepticism and criticism from members of his own party.
Military officials said Monday that Hasan, who was sentenced to death in 2013, would be executed by firing squad in December. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the execution would be livestreamed, raising concerns that Hasan could be viewed as a martyr by others seeking to commit mass violence.
But Vice President JD Vance said Friday that he was not sure the federal government would livestream the execution, adding that if it did he would not watch the event.
That same day, several Republican lawmakers expressed concern about the idea of publicly broadcasting the killing.
Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., wrote in a post on X, “I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that.”
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., said in a separate post on X that “an execution shouldn’t be a live-streamed spectacle. The focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not turning an execution into entertainment. Their pain deserves respect, not a public show.”
Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., wrote on X that “Secretary Hegseth should seriously reconsider this decision.”
Other Republican lawmakers have signaled support for the livestream plan. On Saturday, Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., told NBC News that “Parents should not let their kids watch that. Just like they should have good parental guidance for social media and other things. This administration is focused on accountability.”
Earlier in the day on Truth Social, Trump reposted a Dallas Morning News article in which Robert Jeffress, a prominent Trump ally and the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said that he supports the plan for a public killing.
