President Donald Trump canceled the Department of Defense's plan to broadcast a firing squad execution, a move that follows intense criticism of the proposed livestream. The execution of Nidal Hasan remains scheduled for December 3.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The upcoming event is the first United States execution of a soldier since World War II. Trump supports the execution itself but opposed the specific method of public broadcasting.
Sources close to the president told CNN that Trump was blindsided when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the livestream plans last week. The announcement triggered immediate backlash that crossed political divides. An ABC News poll conducted on the morning of the cancellation found that 8 in 10 Americans were against the livestream. The opposition included a 55 percent majority of MAGA Republicans.