Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2024
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by Andrew Shirley
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The corporate media has a new “Christian nationalist” bogeyman: Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary. Their evidence of Hegseth’s supposed “extremist” views? Two tattoos of popular Christian iconography.
It was inevitable that the media would become apoplectic no matter whom Trump chose to lead the Pentagon – the simple fact that the military will no longer be run by left-wing bureaucrats is enough to send the press and elected Democrats into a fit of rage. But what has been somewhat shocking – if predictable – is the blatant anti-Christian bias evident in the media’s effort to sink Hegseth’s nomination.
Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran, sports two tattoos that reflect his Christian faith.
The first is a Jerusalem Cross across a section of his chest. As Hegseth wrote in his latest book The War on Warriors, “The Jerusalem Cross represents Christ’s sacrifice and the mission to spread his gospel to the four corners of the world. There is one large cross in the middle and four smaller crosses at each corner. This was part of the coat of arms after AD 1203 and the 104-year reign of the Jerusalem Kingdom. I got it after I saw it on a church while walking the streets of Jerusalem.”
The second tattoo on Hegseth’s inner bicep is the Latin phrase Deus Vult, which translates to “God wills it.” The phrase first emerged in Christian teachings in 1095. It was uttered by Pope Urban II as a rallying cry for Christianity and used to encourage European Christians to join in the First Crusade and oppose the Muslim military occupation, violent forced conversion, and invasion of the Christian Byzantine Empire. Over time, the phrase embedded itself in Christianity and common culture as an expression of faith and courage in the face of adversity.
To the liberal media, however, Hegseth’s tattoos are not odes to Christian history, but rather evidence that he holds “dangerous” views and may even be a white nationalist.
The media pile-on began with an Associated Press story shortly after Trump announced Hegseth’s nomination entitled, “Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat.’” According to the report, two of Hegseth’s fellow Army National Guard service members sent an email to Hegseth’s superiors flagging his tattoos as symbols used by “white supremacists.”
As a result, according to Hegseth, he was unfairly labeled an extremist, and his unit was pulled from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration.
Breitbart has since reported that the servicemembers flagging Hegseth as an “insider threat” are “far-left, pro-Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) veterans.” Some sections of the email to Hegseth’s commander were even apparently lifted directly from “a 2018 article by an extreme leftwing professor who identifies herself as an ‘intersectional feminist.’”
Vice President-elect JD Vance blasted the AP for their biased reporting, stating, “They’re attacking Pete Hegseth for having a Christian motto tattooed on his arm. This is disgusting anti-Christian bigotry from the AP, and the entire organization should be ashamed of itself.” But that report was nonetheless all the press needed to launch a narrative that Hegseth is a “dangerous” pick to lead the military.
“‘Christian motto’ or nationalist dog whistle?” asked The Independent earlier this month of Hegseth’s Deus Vult tattoo, repeating the line that the phrase “has been associated with white supremacist groups.” Meanwhile, ABC declared that “Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth was flagged as potential military ‘insider threat’ because of ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo,” while The Atlantic called Hegseth “Donald Trump’s Most Dangerous Cabinet Pick.”
These bad faith attacks have further established a disturbing trend in the legacy media. Since Donald Trump’s 2016 election, pundits have increasingly suggested that individuals of strong Christian faith are “dangerous” and “extremist threats.” One 2022 Atlantic article ran with the title, “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol” and suggested that any individual carrying traditional Christian items or iconography should be looked at as a potential white supremacist and terror threat.
What the media’s attacks on Hegseth ultimately reveal is that, beyond tattoos and dubious allegations, liberals have little to attack him over. He has served more than 20 years as an officer in the Army National Guard. During his service, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan twice and served a tour at Guantanamo Bay. He was awarded Bronze Stars for his service and retired as a major in January 2024. He has worked for several veteran advocacy groups.
Hegseth’s real crime in the eyes of the media is that he is not a puppet of either the Republican or Democrat Party establishments. For that, Americans can be grateful.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
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