The reversal follows days of deliberation inside the White House, during which Trump privately remarked that he had not initially known Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down, CNN reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions. Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the attack, was paralyzed after being shot by responding officers. An ABC/Ipsos/Washington Post poll conducted Oct. 9 to Oct. 13 found 80% of Americans opposed livestreaming the execution, even as 53% supported carrying it out by firing squad.
Hegseth's proposal to broadcast the first US military execution since 1961 drew bipartisan pushback from lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Senators Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis, who warned the footage could serve as terrorist propaganda. Vice President JD Vance also distanced himself from the broadcast, saying he would not watch it, while 72 retired senior military officers, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the United Nations condemned the plan, and TikTok and Newsmax said they would not air the stream.