US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compares reporters to enemies of Jesus, quotes fake bible verse from Pulp Fiction

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compared sections of the US media to the Biblical enemies of Jesus during a Pentagon briefing on Thursday (Apr. 16), accusing what he called the “legacy, Trump-hating press” of focusing only on negative coverage of the US-led war involving Iran.

Hegseth calls American media unpatriotic

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, according to Reuters, Hegseth said a sermon he heard in church on Sunday had reminded him of how Pharisees in the Bible reacted to Jesus after witnessing a miracle.

He said:

“As the passage ends, the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel against him, how to destroy him.

“I sat there in church and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees.”

Pharisees were a Jewish religious group in ancient Judea frequently mentioned in the New Testament as being in conflict with Jesus during his ministry.

Hegseth also accused parts of the American media of being “incredibly unpatriotic”, saying coverage had failed to acknowledge what he described as the success of US military operations.

“I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist peddling,” he said, as cited by NBC News, adding: “Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on.”

Criticism follows Pentagon remarks

The secretary’s comments drew criticism from media figures, including journalism professor Bill Grueskin, who said Hegseth’s remarks reflected a misunderstanding of the role of reporters.

Grueskin said journalists should be “on the side of the truth”, as cited by NBC News, and noted that reporting on developments inside Iran remained difficult, particularly as Pentagon access had become more restricted.

“Ideally, reporters are on the side of the truth and see their role as providing the most accurate, complete and transparent account of what’s happening on the ground.”

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson also criticised Hegseth, writing on X:

“As a Christian how dare you use religion to shame those who simply ask questions.”

Hegseth himself previously worked as a Fox News host before being appointed by Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon.

Prayer controversy resurfaces

The remarks came a day after Hegseth faced scrutiny over a Pentagon prayer on Wednesday (Apr. 15) in which he recited words closely resembling dialogue from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, while saying it reflected a verse from the Book of Ezekiel, reported The Guardian.

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During the prayer service, Hegseth used wording similar to a speech delivered by Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the film, including the line about striking down enemies “with great vengeance and furious anger”.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later acknowledged the prayer was inspired by dialogue from the film, while insisting criticism that Hegseth had misquoted scripture amounted to “fake news”, reported Reuters.

The Trump administration has increasingly used religious language in discussing the conflict, with both Hegseth and Trump referring to the rescue of a downed US airman in Iran as a miracle in recent days.

Top images via Defense Now/YouTube, Boxoffice+/YouTube, CNASdc/X