'Clown' Pete Hegseth Mocked for Allegedly Quoting a Fake Bible Verse From 'Pulp Fiction' at Sermon: 'Sounded Familiar' 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced mockery and criticism for quoting a heavily adapted version of the fictionalized Bible verse from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction during a worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday, April 15.

The combative Christian nationalist delivered a prayer titled "CSAR 25:17" (Combat Search and Rescue), presenting it as a military adaptation of Ezekiel 25:17.

The authentic Ezekiel 25:17 is significantly shorter and differs from the Pulp Fiction version used in the speech.

Hegseth’s prayer closely mirrored the famous monologue from the Quentin Tarantino classic, specifically adapting the lines to say, "The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides..."

He ended his version with, "... and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen.”

Critics and social media users quickly pointed out that his rendition was almost identical to the monologue delivered by Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Jules Winnfield, in the movie.

In the film, the monologue is cited as Ezekiel 25:17, but only the final sentence is from the Bible; the rest was written by director Tarantino.

The widely mocked former Fox News weekend host was blasted for being "beyond embarrassing" and using a movie quote about brutal murder as a prayer.

Social media pounced on the petulant defense secretary for his "Hollywood cosplay" and "ignorant" theatricals, pointing out he was quoting a fictional hitman.

Australian journalist Andrew Carter noted on X, along with a clown emoji, “What a shock, not, I knew that sounded eerily familiar.”

“Pulp Fiction 'bible verse' at the Pentagon like no one would notice… we are really living in a clown show,” quipped an X commenter.

Another noted, “Hegseth has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton. Pulp Fiction must have been a movie genre elective, which is exactly what someone as detached from reality as Trump is would look for in a Secretary of War appointment.”

“At this rate, we should probably check his next speech for lines from Gladiator or Top Gun,” joked another.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defended her boss, telling Newsweek that the political backlash was "just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War."

Critics, including the editor of the Letters from Leo Catholic newsletter, argued that using violent, fictionalized scripture to bless war efforts was inappropriate for a government official.

Hegseth has faced scrutiny for promoting "overwhelming violence of action" during worship services, which have raised concerns about the intersection of religion and the military's secular mission.

Groups such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State have pointed to Hegseth's regular Pentagon worship services as potential violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The incident occurred as House Democrats filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of war crimes and abuse of power related to the conflict in Iran.