Donald Trump May Backtrack on Pete Hegseth's Controversial Plan to Livestream Military Execution: Report

President Donald Trump is reportedly having second thoughts about the controversial proposal by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to livestream a military execution despite his previous support for the idea.

The 80-year-old president has allegedly privately expressed doubts regarding the decision to broadcast the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan on December 3. Hassan was convicted for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009.

Trump reportedly told a close associate that the livestream "might not happen," as the criticism piles on from both Democrats and Republicans.

According to the source speaking to Axios, Trump is not excited about the unprecedented move of broadcasting an execution.

“He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic" about webcasting the execution, the source told Axios, continuing: "That's why he's calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think."

Trump is yet to publicly withdraw his support for the execution display.

Last week, Hegseth announced that Hasan, who is 56 years old, would be put to death by firing squad on December 3, making it the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

The defense secretary also said they intended to make the execution available for the public to watch. Hegseth argued that making the punishment public would show the consequences of committing such crimes.

Trump initially gave a very confident "Absolutely, I approve" answer regarding the execution.

However, the next day, the president said he would make the decision.

Both Republicans and Democrats quickly criticized the announcement.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the proposal "beyond disgusting," while Utah Senator John Curtis urged the Pentagon to reconsider and warned that the plan “cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment.”

Curtis maintained that the victims were entitled to justice even if the killing of their murderer became a public spectacle.

It has been reported that Trump is concerned that showing the execution might play in Hasan favor by turning him into a martyr.

Another adviser raised concerns about the optics of broadcasting Hasan's death since he was wheelchair-bound when he was shot after his massacre.

VP J.D. Vance broke with his boss by speaking out against the execution.

"I don't know if that's actually going to happen," Vance said when speaking to reporters on Friday. He reportedly added in private, "I'm not going to be watching it.”

Even though Vance supports Hasan’s death penalty along with other White House officials, the concern is purely about the broadcasting of the execution. The dispute has put Vance and Hegseth at odds after the pair disagreed on the use of military force in Yemen and Iran. However, reports indicate that they still maintain a good relationship.

At this stage, the execution of Hasan is still set for December 3, but whether the public gets to watch it is yet to be determined.