Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had discussed abandoning a planned broadcast before Trump announced that former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s execution would not be streamed.
Parnell said Hegseth supported the president’s decision. “The Secretary supports the President’s decision, and they are completely aligned,” he said.
Hegseth had publicly backed broadcasting the execution in an interview with Real America’s Voice, arguing that showing the event would underscore the consequences of attacks. Trump later said in a Truth Social post that the execution would go ahead as scheduled but would not be broadcast. He added that victims’ immediate family members could attend in person if they wished. EconoTimes previously covered Trump’s decision to withhold the livestream.
Reuters reported, citing an unnamed White House official, that Trump had not known about Hegseth’s original livestream proposal.
The Army set the firing-squad execution for Dec. 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas, at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CST; 19:00 UTC). The Army said Trump approved the death sentence on Oct. 2, 2026, and Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle directed the execution on Oct. 6.
