Hegseth Calls Reporters ‘Pharisees’ After Reciting ‘Pulp Fiction’ Verse at Pentagon

Overview

• Hegseth, speaking at a Pentagon briefing Thursday, compared reporters to Pharisees and said traditional outlets hate President Trump.
• Less than an hour after the briefing, Pope Leo XIV posted a warning on X against leaders who use God and religion for political or military gain.
• Hegseth a day earlier led a Pentagon worship event where he read a prayer that mirrors a monologue from Pulp Fiction rather than the Bible’s Ezekiel 25:17.
• A Pentagon spokesman later said the prayer was a customized CSAR theme used by rescue crews and acknowledged it was inspired by the film dialogue.
• The clash with the press continues as a federal judge last month struck down the Pentagon’s press-pass policy as unconstitutional and the department is appealing, while House Democrats sent an impeachment referral that is unlikely to advance in a GOP-led Congress.