Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t just brief reporters on the escalating Iran conflict this week — he delivered a full-throated rebuke of what he sees as a hopelessly biased press corps, one he says is so blinded by its hatred of Donald Trump that it can’t even recognize American success when it’s staring them in the face.

The fireworks came as Trump once again dominated headlines — from social media provocations to his ongoing sparring with global figures like Pope Leo XIV. But inside the Beltway, it was Hegseth who grabbed the mic and turned a routine Pentagon update into a culture-war broadside.

Standing beside Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, Hegseth accused legacy outlets of rooting against the home team — a charge conservatives have leveled for years, especially after coverage of flashpoints like the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal under President Joe Biden.

And then came the biblical comparison.

Drawing from the Gospel of Mark, Hegseth likened today’s press to the Pharisees — the rigid religious elites who, in Christian scripture, sought to trap and ultimately destroy Jesus despite witnessing his miracles. In Hegseth’s telling, Trump is delivering results, while the press is too consumed by political animus to acknowledge them.

Here’s the passage Hegseth delivered, in full:

To the press, the press corps, to the American media, as I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage.

You cannot resist peddling, despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops. Troops.

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It’s incredibly unpatriotic.

This same press corps, not this exact same press corps, but at least an older press corps bent over backwards during the Biden administration to explain away, you explained away the disastrous and disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal.

You called it the greatest airlift in American history. It’s almost like you’re cheering only for one side.

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.

The Pharisees came to watch. And as the scripture reads, they came to see whether he, Jesus, would heal him, or he would heal Him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

You see, the Pharisees, the so-called and self-appointed elites of their time, they were there to witness, to write everything down, to report.

But their hearts were hardened. Even though they witnessed a literal miracle, it didn’t matter, they were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda.

As the passage ends, the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel against him how to destroy him.

I sat there in church, and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees. Not all of you, not all of, but the legacy Trump-hating press.

Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors.

The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation. Looking for the negative. The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn. I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this President, and this historic moment for a deal that could end the Iranian nuclear threat.

The issue isn’t just tone — it’s trust. Poll after poll has shown declining confidence in major news outlets, particularly among Republican voters. In that environment, moments like this aren’t gaffes; they’re features, not bugs.

Hegseth: “Our Press Are Just Like The Pharisees,” Your Hatred For Trump Blinds You To “Miraculous” War Success

“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.” pic.twitter.com/cdBqfTcaYh

— RealClearPolitics (@RCPolitics) April 16, 2026