'How dare you': Gretchen Carlson fires back after Hegseth likens media to Pharisees

The Trump administration faced religious scrutiny yet again as War Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked the Bible to attack the media. Broadcaster and journalist Gretchen Carlson strongly criticized Hegseth for comparing the American press to the biblical Pharisees, accusing them of harboring a political agenda against President Donald Trump and ignoring the military's achievements. 

"Our press is just like these Pharisees," Hegseth had said. "The legacy Trump-hating press. Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors." Hegseth elaborated by comparing the Pharisees' scrutiny of good deeds to find fault to the media's coverage of the war in Iran. "The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation. Only looking for the negative. The hardened hearts of ‌our press ⁠are calibrated only to impugn," he said.

Carlson took to X to slam Hegseth for using religion to attack those who ask questions of people in power. "As a Christian, how dare you use religion to shame those who simply ask questions?" Carlson exclaimed. She doubled down on her criticism by stating that it was only being done to shame people who do not agree with its policies. "Don't think for a moment all of this administration "Jesus" talk is by mistake. It's by design to shame those who don't agree, who dare to ask questions or not agree," she wrote.

During Thursday's press conference, Hegseth, on several occasions, criticized the American media for negativity. "I can't help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist peddling. Sometimes, it is hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It’s incredibly unpatriotic," he said. "Sometimes, it is hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It's incredibly unpatriotic."

President Trump, too, has frequently attacked media outlets that cover him unfavorably, branding them the 'fake news media.' His most recent attack came after he defended an AI-generated image that appeared to show him as a messianic figure. "I thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross," Trump said, adding, "only the fake news could come up with that one" in reference to people drawing connections with Jesus.