Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cast Donald Trump as Jesus while launching a tirade against the media on Thursday.
His depiction came despite the president facing backlash for posting an image showing himself as a Jesus-like figure.
The president posted the AI-generated image on Truth Social before quickly deleting it, as even his supporters expressed outrage at the comparison.
Trump later claimed he thought the picture showed him as a “doctor,” but critics pointed out it was a bizarre claim considering the robes and light coming out of his hands in the image as he stands over a man’s bed.
However, Hegseth doubled down on the Trump-Jesus comparison at his Pentagon press conference, while ranting about the media.
“This past Sunday, I was sitting in church with my family, and our minister preached from the Book of Mark, the third chapter, and in the passage, Jesus entered a synagogue and healed a man with a withered hand,” Hegseth started. “The Pharisees came to watch.”
The defense secretary claimed the Pharisees came to “see whether Jesus would heal him,” so they could criticize him. That’s when Hegseth compared Trump to Jesus.
“I sat there in church, and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees, not all of you, not all of you, but the legacy Trump-hating press,” Hegseth complained.
“Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors,” he continued. ”The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative."
The defense secretary’s diatribe casting Trump as Jesus came after the president backed down and deleted a post, a rare move for him, after being blasted for sharing the image on Truth Social.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross,” Trump claimed when asked about it by a reporter. “Only the fake news media could come up with that.”
But the president’s own supporters were outraged by the image. Conservative Gen Z Trump ally Brilyn Hollyhand called it “gross blasphemy.”
“God shall not be mocked,” wrote commentator Riley Gaines, criticizing the president for sharing the image.
At the same time, Trump has been attacking Pope Leo XIV for criticizing his war on Iran. The pope fired back, saying he had no fear of the Trump administration.
Catholic leaders across the U.S. have also condemned the president for his attacks, as top Trump allies like Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson have rushed to defend him.
On Thursday, Pope Leo issued a new warning for the president and Hegseth, though he did not call members of the Trump administration out by name.
“Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Pope Leo said during a sermon in Cameroon.
