Trump Reconsiders Firing Squad Livestream as Mike Johnson Warns It 'Would Be a Recruiting Tool'

President Donald Trump is weighing whether to abandon plans to livestream Nidal Hasan's firing squad execution at Fort Hood, Texas, on 3 December, after House Speaker Mike Johnson warned the footage 'would be a recruiting tool for future terrorists'.

Administration officials were leaning against a live broadcast as of Tuesday, according to people familiar with the discussions. The proposal, announced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, has faced objections from senior Republicans. Trump has not announced a final decision.

Hasan, a former US Army major and psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009. Trump approved his death sentence on 2 October, according to the US Army.

Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle directed four days later that the execution proceed by firing squad on 3 December. Whether the public should see it is a separate question.

Mike Johnson Warns Nidal Hasan Livestream Could Aid Terrorist Recruitment

Johnson raised concerns that recording the execution could provide extremist groups with material to circulate long after the event. In an interview with CBS News, he said, 'The concern would be that you would create a video that would be a recruiting tool for future terrorists.'

The speaker said fellow Republicans had expressed reservations and that he intended to take their views to the White House. He also said he would not watch the broadcast himself. Vice President JD Vance made a similar personal declaration, saying, 'I'm not going to be watching it.'

A Trump adviser cited by CNN said a broadcast might also allow terrorist organisations to portray Hasan as a martyr. The warning concerned the potential use of execution footage as propaganda.

Trump Caught off Guard by Public Broadcast Plan

Hegseth initially presented the public broadcast as a way to demonstrate the consequences of the 2009 attack. Speaking to Real America's Voice on Thursday, 8 October, he said, 'He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be.' The defence secretary also said people should be able to watch.

Trump had not expected Hegseth to announce the plan, according to two sources familiar with White House discussions. The president subsequently consulted advisers and political allies as criticism grew. Those sources said he had also been unaware that Hasan was paralysed from the waist down and now used a wheelchair.

Hasan was shot in the back by law enforcement during the 2009 attack. The sources said Trump's discovery of his condition made the prospect of broadcasting the execution less appealing to him.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday whether he had reached a decision, Trump answered, 'We're looking at it'. Over the weekend, he had acknowledged competing arguments, telling reporters, 'There are two thoughts: Don't show it and show it.'

Trump suggested that showing the punishment might deter others from committing similar acts. However, his uncertainty over a public broadcast does not mean he has withdrawn support for the execution itself.

Pentagon Weighs Cutting Feed Before Firing Squad Acts

The Pentagon is also reviewing whether to broadcast the proceedings in full, according to one person familiar with the discussions cited by CNN.

Even if the event is shown live, the stream could stop before the firing squad opens fire. The possibility is being considered partly because of concerns that footage of the shooting could become terrorist propaganda.

The White House and Pentagon had not publicly announced a replacement broadcasting arrangement in the latest reporting. Neither had confirmed that the livestream was cancelled, and the possibility of cutting it short remained under discussion.

The execution, if carried out as scheduled, would be the first by the US military since 1961. It would also be the first military execution by firing squad since the Second World War.

Hasan remains scheduled to be executed at Fort Hood on 3 December. The Army's announced date and method have not changed, and the president has not publicly indicated that the sentence itself is under reconsideration.

What remains unsettled is whether any part of the execution will be shown to the public. Trump has yet to say whether the original plan, a shortened broadcast or no livestream will be chosen.