Trump debates calling off livestream of firing squad execution after learning Fort Hood shooter was paralyzed

President Donald Trump and his advisers are debating whether to call off plans to livestream the firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter, with Trump having remarked privately that he did not initially know that Nidal Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down, two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.

The president was not aware that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was announcing last week that the administration planned to let the public watch the execution, the sources said, and was not sure what to make of it at first. Trump was, however, firmly behind the decision to execute Hasan via firing squad, multiple officials told CNN, and he’s often defended it in public.

And even after Hegseth posted on X on Thursday confirming that the Pentagon planned to livestream the execution, Trump polled several of his advisers and allies about how to proceed.

It was during the those conversations that Trump learned Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down — he was shot in the back by law enforcement during the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood — and that he now uses a wheelchair, the sources said, which made showing the execution publicly less palatable to the president.

One of the sources familiar with the discussions pointed to Trump’s deep understanding of imagery as a key reason why he may decide to ditch plans for the livestream. The president has also listened to the argument that a public execution by firing squad could serve as propaganda for foreign adversaries and terrorists to try to paint Hasan as a martyr, a Trump adviser told CNN.

The White House on Tuesday referred CNN to the president’s comments on Saturday in which he acknowledged “two thoughts” about what to do and said he’d make the ultimate decision.

“He was vicious. He was violent,” Trump told reporters about Hasan over the weekend. “There are two thoughts: Don’t show it and show it. Because, 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 we’ll make a decision.”

The Pentagon is also reevaluating plans to fully livestream the execution, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Even if there is a broadcast of the event, the source said, it will likely be cut before shots are fired, in part, due to concerns that the moment could offer a propaganda opportunity for terrorist groups.