President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will make a final decision on whether to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army major condemned to death for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in 2009.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for a political rally in Tennessee, Trump outlined two options under consideration. "There are two lines of thinking: not to show it or to show it," Trump said. "Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did. So ultimately, I'll make a decision. I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision."
The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, a military base in Texas, and will be carried out by a firing squad of armed soldiers, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump characterized Hasan as a "ruthless killer" and expressed concern for those wounded in the 2009 attack. "Some of the people who were injured will never recover their lives," Trump said.
The proposal to broadcast the execution has drawn bipartisan criticism. On Friday, Trump told a CNN-affiliated station that he did not participate in the decision to livestream the execution but said he understood the measure.
The plan to livestream the execution originated from Hegseth's office. Trump's statement Saturday indicated that the final determination rests with the president, though he acknowledged the military's preference in the matter.
Hasan was an Army psychiatrist at the time of the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. He was court-martialed and sentenced to death for the attack.