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Evangelical Christians are Trump's most loyal group of voters. Among the nominees for his government, the future US president is now relying on particularly radical representatives who make a name for themselves with crude theses and symbols.
Pete Hegseth likes to appear shirtless. So you not only see the powerful muscles, but also the tattoos: an assault rifle above the US flag, the medieval Jerusalem cross with the crusaders' battle cry “Deus Vult” (“God wants it”) and the name “Jesus” in Hebrew letters. .
The former elite soldier and Fox News presenter sees himself as a “Christian Warrior”, a “Holy Warrior” against enemies both inside and outside. In Donald Trump's second term in office, he is expected to become Secretary of Defense.
Screenshot of an Instagram post by Pete Hegseth
In his 2020 book “American Crusade,” Hegseth calls for the “complete destruction” of all left-wing forces “without which America cannot survive.” His most recent publication, “War on Warriors,” now also includes the “woken military” among these left-wing enemies.
An army that accepts women and queer people in the fighting troops is a betrayal of the mission to wage war. For the man who will soon be responsible for over two million soldiers, the Crusaders in the Middle Ages represent an army freed from all legal shackles: “Our enemies need bullets, not lawyers!” The book ends with the religious exclamation: “All Glory to Jesus Christ!”
Screenshot of an Instagram post by Pete Hegseth: “Deus Vult” (“God wants it”) emblazoned on his upper arm. The future defense minister sees himself as a “holy warrior.”
Mixture of militancy and masculinity
Sociologist Philip Gorski, who researches Christian nationalism at Yale University, is convinced that Donald Trump, with Pete Hegseth, is sending a conscious signal to the extreme edge of the religious and political spectrum.
In this scene, a direct line is drawn from the Crusades in the Middle Ages through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the Conquest of the West to the storming of the Capitol, in which the glorification of violence and masculinity is dressed up in religious terms.
After the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the FBI took massive action against such 'Christian' militias. But these groups have reorganized at the local level. This mix of militancy and masculinity is particularly attractive to young men.
Symbols that mass murderer Breivik also used
The battle cry “Deus Vult” and the Jerusalem Cross have long been widespread among religiously motivated right-wing extremists. The Norwegian neo-Nazi and mass murderer Anders Breivik also used this symbolism in his “manifesto” in 2011.
Historian Mathew Gabriele of Virginia Tech University says: “This combination represents a certain kind of apocalyptic, militant Christianity. And violence has almost always followed this flag.”
Extremists in the evangelical camp
Hegseth's nomination therefore represents a shift in power in the spectrum of Christian nationalists, says Gorski.
There have always been politicians among the Republicans with a very conservative evangelical value system. But in their offices they followed the rules. Just like Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence, who did not allow himself to be framed for the lie about the stolen election in 2021. This is the fundamental difference between old-school evangelicals like Pence or future Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the one hand and religious extremists like Hegseth on the other.
In the extreme camp of Christian nationalists, Gorski includes, among others, Trump confidant and ideological mastermind of “America First,” Russel Vought. As the future budget director, he should control all government spending and lead the fight against liberal institutions with the money tap.
“Judea and Samaria” instead of the West Bank
With the appointment of Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel, Donald Trump is also aiming for a change of course in Middle East policy in which the boundaries between politics and religion disappear.
Huckabee has been one of the most prominent voices of “Christian Zionists” for many years. Even after his nomination, the former Baptist minister and governor of Arkansas maintains his line of not speaking of the “West Bank” but of “Judea and Samaria”: “For 3,500 years, when the document was given to Abraham by God himself, this has been Jewish “People are the rightful owners of Israel,” he told All Israel News, a mouthpiece for Christian Zionists.
For him, this biblical testimony is “not up for discussion.” Huckabee has also repeatedly shown sympathy for the occupation of the Palestinian autonomous areas.
The future US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, sees himself as a “Christian Zionist” – and, citing the Bible, speaks exclusively of “Judea and Samaria” instead of “West Bank”.
Skepticism among US Jews
Behind Mike Huckabee are powerful lobbying organizations such as Christians United for Israel (CUFI) with millions of members. For this scene, however, supporting Israel is not an end in itself, but serves the salvation-historical hope of the return of Jesus, whom the Jews should then also recognize as their Messiah.
Until then, Israel will become the end-time battlefield of Armageddon, announced the chairman of CUFI, John Hagee, in front of thousands of his followers in October.
How such apocalyptic violent fantasies can be reconciled with the classic tasks of diplomacy also worries many Jews in the USA. Almost half of them support a two-state solution – more than any other social group. Christian Zionists, on the other hand, support the settler movement in the West Bank and a possible annexation of Palestinian territories.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump complained several times about the lack of support from Jewish voters, who ultimately voted for Kamala Harris with almost 80 percent. Huckabee acknowledged to All Israel News that the majority of Jews reject his positions.
As ambassador, however, he will represent the policies of the president, who was elected by 89 percent of evangelicals (which is an exaggeration – it was “only” 80 percent of white evangelicals).
Congress still has to agree
Unlike the “Christian Warrior” Pete Hegseth, Mike Huckabee probably doesn’t have to fear much headwind in Congress. Many senators and members of Congress are close to the Christian Zionists and received large donations from them during the election campaign.
Trump's preferred candidate for the Pentagon, on the other hand, is already under fire – although not because of his portrayal as a holy warrior, but because of serious rape allegations. Pete Hegseth denies all allegations, but paid the alleged victim a hush money in 2020 to avoid a civil lawsuit.
