'You are a clown': Don Winslow goes nuclear on Pete Hegseth

Over the last two weeks, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has come under fire from Trump administration critics for his rhetoric towards the Iran war. From firing senior military officials to berating the press and invoking the Bible in his speeches, Hegseth's actions have drawn the ire of several public figures. Among them, writer Don Winslow, known for crime hits like 'The Force' and 'Savages', did not mince words as he attacked the War Secretary. 

A day after Hegseth compared the press to the biblical Pharisees, Winslow took to social media to write a post in all caps, calling the War Secretary "a clown." Earlier, Hegseth faced severe criticism for using a Quentin Tarantino monologue to bless the Iran war at a Pentagon prayer service. Winslow, a long-time critic of President Donald Trump and his Cabinet, tagged Hegseth on X, writing, "You're the worst Secretary of Defense in the history of this nation."   

On Wednesday, Hegseth, inspired by a monologue in Trantino's 'Pulp Fiction', delivered a prayer he called 'CSAR 25:17'. Saying that it was given to him by the "lead mission planner" of the rescue operation of two Air Force crew members who were shot down over Iran, Hegseth read out lines that were heavily borrowed from the movie. The prayer became an internet sensation, with many pointing out the similarities, and some criticizing him for distorting a Bible verse to justify a war. Pentagon, however, defended the War Secretary, saying that he was aware it was inspired by dialogue from 'Pulp Fiction'. 

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X that both the prayer and the movie dialogue were reflections of Ezekiel 25:17. "However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality," Parnell wrote.

Hegseth also faced criticism after he likened the press to the Pharisees during a press briefing on Thursday. "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." During Thursday's presser, Hegseth, on several occasions, criticized the American media. "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."