President Trump said he approved Nidal Hasan’s firing-squad execution but was not involved in the livestream plan meant to make an example of the Fort Hood murderer.

Speaking Friday in Syracuse during a campaign stop, Trump told local outlet CNY Central he backed the death sentence itself while distancing himself from any broadcast decision. The New York Post carried his remarks as the military prepared the first firing-squad execution since 1945.

Hours earlier, leaving the White House, Trump had already made his stance on the penalty clear. “Did I approve? Absolutely,” he said.

Hasan, an Army major, opened fire inside a medical building at the Texas base on Nov. 5, 2009. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” A court-martial later sentenced him to death.

Trump backs the sentence and calls the death penalty worthy

In the Syracuse interview Trump confirmed he signed off on the execution method. “I did,” he answered when asked directly about approval.

He described the attack in blunt terms and said the penalty fits. “He went in and killed 14 people. He badly, badly wounded 22 people, walked into a room, just started firing at everybody, screaming things that he shouldn’t be screaming. So, I guess they want to have it serve as an example, and I understand that very well,” Trump said.

"He will be through firing squad.... I really don’t care how he goes as long as he goes. And I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him."

Trump’s words leave no doubt about the outcome he wants for the convicted terrorist. The White House rapid response account later shared his fuller comments on X.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended the firing-squad sentence, and Trump accepted that recommendation. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the decision plainly across multiple outlets.

Fox News reported the execution is set for 1 p.m. CT on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, marking the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

Parnell’s statement left little room for delay: “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended, and President Donald J. Trump has approved, death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan.” He added, “Judgment day for Hasan has finally come.”

Livestream talk draws a clear line from Trump

Hegseth had said the Dec. 3 proceeding would be broadcast live. Trump drew a distinction. “They want to do that because they want to set an example. I wasn’t involved in that decision, but I understand the decision,” he told the Syracuse interviewers.

He indicated he could still weigh in later, saying he would “make a determination” on any livestream. That separation matters: the president owns the sentence while leaving the broadcast call to others for now.

Vice President JD Vance struck a similar note of distance at a Friday event in Ohio. “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” Vance said. “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”

"I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen."

The military has not carried out a death sentence in more than six decades. Breitbart noted the Army secretary will set the final time and place once the presidential approval is locked in.

That procedural step follows Hegseth’s formal recommendation. The same secretary has drawn intense scrutiny in other defense matters, including recent recognition of sailors after a demanding Iran-related deployment.

Supporters of the death penalty see delayed justice finally arriving for the soldiers and civilians gunned down in 2009. The long gap since the last military execution only sharpens the point.

Approval closes a long legal road

The Washington Examiner confirmed Trump’s authorization came after Hegseth was briefed and made the request. Parnell’s language was identical across reports: the president approved death by Army firing squad for the man who targeted unarmed American soldiers.

Hasan was convicted in 2013. Appeals stretched the case for years. Trump’s signature ends that chapter and returns the focus to the victims’ families who waited nearly 17 years.

Some Republican voices have clashed with Hegseth on other fronts, from confirmation regrets to calls for personnel changes. One retiring senator even urged Trump to replace him after an Army secretary’s exit. Those fights sit apart from the Hasan decision.

Just the News underscored the historic weight: this will be the first military death sentence carried out since 1961. The Secretary of the Army now holds the calendar.

Parnell’s closing line remains the clearest official verdict. “The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgment day for Hasan has finally come.”

House leadership has separately slowed other challenges aimed at Hegseth, shelving an impeachment push until after the midterms. None of that alters the president’s direct approval of the firing-squad sentence.

Trump’s Syracuse comments keep the core promise simple. The man who murdered soldiers on a U.S. base will face the death penalty. How the public sees it is a secondary call.

Justice delayed for the Fort Hood dead is still justice delivered. The firing squad ends the wait the only way the law and the facts allow.