Pete Hegseth Quoted A Bible Verse. Turns Out It Was A Rip-Off Of ‘Pulp Fiction.’

Posted on 17/04/2026 by Boris Clair

In a move that seems indicative of the Trump administration’s increasingly fractured relationship with the Vatican, Pete Hegseth appeared to mistake lines from a classic crime film for Scripture during a public appearance this week.

The defense secretary delivered a prayer during a livestreamed worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday. “They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” he said in his introduction of the prayer he’d been given.

However, viewers quickly noticed his words more closely echoed one of Samuel L. Jackson’s monologues from 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” than the biblical verse he’d referenced.

“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” Hegseth said in part. “Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

Watch Pete Hegseth’s prayer service below. His reference to Ezekiel 25:17 begins around the 6:56 mark.

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In “Pulp Fiction,” Jackson portrays hit man Jules Winnfield, who offers a similar declaration before shooting a man to death.

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” he says. “Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”

Hegseth said the prayer was recited by the “Sandy 1” combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran, and to be fair, Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino reportedly drew from a scene in the 1973 Japanese film Bodyguard Kiba as the basis for Jackson’s monologue.

The actual Ezekiel 25:17 passage as it appears in the King James Bible is significantly shorter than both Hegseth’s and Jackson’s, reading simply: “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”

Hegseth has yet to address the discourse publicly. The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, issued a statement on X Thursday acknowledging the CSAR prayer and Hegseth’s words were “obviously inspired by dialogue” in Pulp Fiction, but that both the prayer and the film scene were “reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service.”

“Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality,” he added.

Still, videos comparing Hegseth’s prayer to Jackson’s monologue went viral online and, as of Thursday, had drawn a fair number of snarky responses.

“When our leaders mix up God and a movie, in trying to suggest that God is behind them, that suggests the muddle we’re all in,” New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof wrote on X.

Journalist and author James North quipped: “The Old Testament’s ‘Book of Tarantino.’”

Hegseth’s prayer gaffe comes amid rising tensions between the Trump administration, including President Donald Trump himself, and high-ranking Catholic leaders.

On Sunday, the president deemed Pope Leo XIV “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a post on his Truth Social platform after the pontiff criticized both the Iran war and the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

That same day, Trump drew further outrage when he shared what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ ― or, at the very least, a Christ-like figure ― on Truth Social.

Though the president argued the image was intended to depict him as a doctor, he or his team quietly deleted it after public figures on both sides of the political aisle condemned it as “blasphemous.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Pete Hegseth Says America’s ‘Ungrateful European Allies’ Should Thank Trump For Iran War

Posted on 19/03/2026 by Boris Clair

Pete Hegseth has said America’s “ungrateful allies in Europe” should thank Donald Trump for the war in Iran.

The self-styled US Secretary of War said the president was “doing the work of the free world” by attacking the country’s ruling regime.

His comments came as the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands issued a joint-statement with Japan condemning Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

However, they stopped short of agreeing to Trump’s request to send warships to protect oil tankers using it.

Around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the waterway, and its closure has led to a spike in oil prices and triggered economic turmoil around the world.

Their statement said: “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli bombing of Iran’s South Pars gas field – and Tahran’s retaliatory strike on Qatar – has also sent energy costs soaring.

Despite the global chaos, Hegseth insisted the rest of the world should be grateful to Trump for starting the war nearly three weeks ago.

He said Iran was “a direct threat to America, to freedom and to civilisation.

“The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press should be saying one thing to President Trump – thank you,” Hegseth said.

“Thank you for the courage to stop this terror state from holding the world hostage with missiles while building or attempting to build a nuclear bomb. Thank you for doing the work of the free world.”

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Hegseth: The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press should be saying one thing to President Trump: Thank you. pic.twitter.com/QJmRfibQfE

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2026

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Hegseth: The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press should be saying one thing to President Trump: Thank you. pic.twitter.com/QJmRfibQfE

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2026

Pete Hegseth Launches Thinly-Veiled Attack On UK Over Iran ‘Hand-Wringing’

Posted on 02/03/2026 by Boris Clair

American defence secretary Pete Hegseth has attacked America’s “traditional allies” for “hemming and hawing about the use of force” amid the US–Israeli strikes on Iran.

Israel and the US launched “pre-emptive” strikes to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons on Saturday.

Hegseth’s comments appeared to be a thinly-veiled swipe at Keir Starmer, who initially refused to let America use UK bases to launch their attacks.

Donald Trump said he was “very disappointed” by the prime minister’s decision, prompting Starmer to hit back at him in the Commons.

Hegseth joined in with this condemnation during a press conference on Monday.

“Israel has clear missions as well for which we are grateful,” he said. “Capable partners are good partners.

“Unlike so many of traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force.

“America, regardless of what so called international institutions say, is unleashing the most lethal and precise air fire campaign in history.”

Starmer announced on Sunday night that the UK would allow the US to use British bases to target Iranian weapons storage depots and missile launch sites.

He said he was “protecting British interests and British lives” after Iran launched missile attacks on countries across the Middle East.

Speaking in the Commons, the prime minister said: “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes.

“But it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I’ve done, and I stand by it.”

Trump Brags Of ‘Obliterating’ Iran’s Nuclear Program, But Top Adviser Is More Cautious

Posted on 22/06/2025 by Boris Clair

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Dan Caine on Sunday said that while the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites successfully struck all three targets and did “extremely severe” damage, exactly to what extent Iran’s nuclear program has been set back cannot be known yet.

“It would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there,” the career Air Force officer said at the joint news conference at the Pentagon with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

His assessment offered a stark contrast with the boasts of both President Donald Trump in remarks Saturday night and with Hegseth just moments earlier. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said.

“It was an incredible and overwhelming success. The order we received from our commander in chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth said in remarks that praised Trump effusively while also disparaging former President Joe Biden’s administration. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.”

Caine, meanwhile, primarily praised the crews of the 125 aircraft that took part in “Operation Midnight Hammer,” including the seven B-2 stealth bombers from an Air Force base in Missouri that dropped 14 “bunker buster” bombs on the underground site at Fordow, the dozens of tanker planes that refuelled them, and the fighter planes that flew ahead of the bombers to ensure their safety. He said it did not appear that any of the planes were fired upon by Iranian air defense systems.

He also praised the coordination of aircraft with submarines that launched Tomahawk missiles, with all three targets getting hit over a span of just 25 minutes.

“I want to thank every service member, planner, operator, that made this mission possible. Their actions reflect the highest standards of the United States Armed Forces,” Caine said.

In his remarks, Hegseth appeared to confirm suspicions that Trump had been dishonest in his claims that he wanted negotiations rather than a military response.

“This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation so that we could be ready when the president of the United States called,” Hegseth said. “It took a great deal of precision, involved misdirection and the highest level of operational security.”

Fox News Host’s Cancel Culture Hypocrisy Exposed In Awkward Supercut Video

Posted on 02/09/2021 by Boris Clair

Fox News host Pete Hegseth on Wednesday lauded a Florida restaurant that is refusing to serve patrons who support US President Joe Biden.

“She’s expressing a sentiment and speaking for a lot of people,” he said of diner owner Angie Ugarte’s sign demanding that Biden supporters take their business elsewhere.

But when the shoe was on the other foot, he took the opposite view.

Hegseth was livid when Sarah Huckabee Sanders was booted from a Virginia restaurant in 2018 while she was Donald Trump’s press secretary.

“What does it say about the left that they stand in solidarity with a business that kicks out a paying customer just because of their political position?” he said at the time.

On Wednesday, he stood in solidarity with the Florida diner, declared that the ban on Biden supporters was a “guttural scream that I love my country.”

Media Matters put the two clips together:

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Fox News Host’s Cancel Culture Hypocrisy Exposed In Awkward Supercut Video