President Trump is defending the decision to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, saying officials want the moment to serve as a warning to others. Trump said he wasn't personally involved in the choice to make the execution public, but added that he understands the reasoning behind it. He described the horror of what Hasan did in blunt terms, recalling how the shooter walked into a room and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 14 people and wounding 22 more while screaming as he carried out the attack. For Trump, the decision to broadcast the execution comes down to sending an unmistakable message about the consequences of such violence.

The execution, set for December 3 at Fort Hood, would mark the first military execution in 65 years and the Army's first execution of a soldier since World War II. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the firing squad execution will be public and livestreamed, saying bluntly that Hasan's final requests don't matter and that the world will simply see the outcome on the scheduled date. Hasan was convicted of murder for the 2009 shooting rampage at the Texas military base, where he opened fire on fellow soldiers in what he later said was an attempt to stop deployments to Afghanistan. The decision to make his execution both public and broadcast live marks a stark departure from how military executions have traditionally been handled, and is already drawing intense national attention ahead of the scheduled date.