Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compared the American press to the biblical Pharisees during a Pentagon briefing, further embedding stark religious rhetoric into the administration’s defense of the ongoing war in Iran.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalated the administration’s confrontation with the media on Thursday, using a Pentagon briefing to compare reporters to the biblical Pharisees who plotted to destroy Jesus Christ. Defending the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran against negative coverage, Hegseth reflected on a recent sermon regarding hardened hearts, stating, “I sat there in church and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees,” specifically targeting what he termed the “legacy, Trump-hating press.”
The Secretary’s remarks come amid a growing religious rift between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV, which intensified after Hegseth led a prayer service using a passage adapted from the film Pulp Fiction and the President shared social media imagery portraying himself in a Christ-like light. Hegseth argued that “the Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation,” asserting that the media is similarly “calibrated only to impugn” the administration’s actions. Following the briefing, Pope Leo XIV appeared to rebuke the rhetoric on social media, writing, “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain.