A cross of Jerusalem on the torso, « Deus vult » on an arm, « kafir » in Arabic and American emblems: Pete Hegseth’s tattoos combine faith, national identity and military memory. Their political importance is not limited to drawings. It also comes from the explanations of the head of the Pentagon, his references to the crusades and the place he gives to religion in his public presentation.
These brands fueled two distinct controversies: his removal from Joe Biden’s investiture security in January 2021, and his criticism of the Arabic inscription, which was widely commented on in March 2025. Confounding them leads to telling an inaccurate story. Reducing them to mere ornaments prevents them, on the other hand, from understanding why they provoke debate.
Pete Hegseth’s tattoos don’t all tell the same story
Hegseth himself described several reasons in interviews prior to his arrival in the Pentagon. He attaches a flag with a weapon to his experience in Iraq. He also presents a unit badge as a service memory. On his forearm is « We the People », the first words of the American Constitution.
This entry refers to a specific political text. The preamble affirms that the people establish the Constitution to form a more perfect union, to ensure justice and common defence. The pattern belongs to American civic vocabulary. Its presence alone does not allow us to deduce a partisan or religious affiliation.
The fragmented « Join, or Die » snake has another origin. The Library of Congress dates its publication by Benjamin Franklin of 9 May 1754. The drawing then called upon the British colonies to unite against the French and their native allies. He thus preceded American independence in 1776. Presenting it only as a drawing created during the war of independence erases part of its history.
In Hegsheth, these references are accompanied by explicitly Christian signs. This assembly allows us to read several claimed belongings: nation, army and faith. It does not exempt from examining each symbol separately, nor from comparing this reading with its own words.
The Cross of Jerusalem, a Christian symbol with multiple uses
The large cross surrounded by four small crosses, tattooed on his torso, is called the cross of Jerusalem. Its connection with the crusades and the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem is real. But its religious use is not limited to this military heritage.
The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land explains that the crusades gave it political and territorial significance, in addition to its religious dimension. It presents a reading of the five crosses as the five plagues of Christ. The equestrian order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem also retains this interpretation in its official explanation of the insignia.
This reminder changes the way the tattoo is approached. A person may bear this cross to express his faith, his attachment to holy places or the memory of a pilgrimage. Its use by some far-right activists does not transform all its uses into a sign of extremist recognition.
Hegseth specifically invokes his Christian significance. He defended him in his public speeches on the episode of 2021. During his Senate hearing on January 14, 2025, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer asked about this controversy. The question of tattooing thus entered into the examination of his appointment as head of the Pentagon.
« Deus vult »: a warlike reference assumed
The Latin expression « Deus vult » means « God wants it ». It refers to the account of the first crusade, launched after the appeal of Pope Urban II in 1095. Medieval stories are associated with the acclaim of participants. This historical tradition should not be treated as the literal recording of a crowd of the eleventh century.
Unlike a cross with multiple uses, this formula directly evokes mobilization for holy war. Hegseth did not deny this origin: in an explanation of his tattoos resumed in November 2024, he described it as the cry of the crusaders. He also retached his motives to the importance of Israel, Christianity and his faith in his life.
The medievalist Matthew Gabriele, professor at Virginia Tech, and researcher Matthew Taylor highlight the contemporary re-employment of this imaginary by the far right. Their analysis focuses on the circulation of symbols and their political uses. It is not evidence of Hegseth’s membership in any particular organization.
The relevant question is therefore that of the use he chooses himself. It does not only bear an emblem which it would necessarily ignore history. He publicly recognized the reference to crusades. This allows us to examine the political scope of this choice without automatically assigning the intentions of all those who use the same formula.
In January 2021, an alert on the arm rather than on the cross
After the Capitol assault of 6 January 2021, the American authorities reinforced the security of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Hegseth, then a member of the National Guard, claims to have been removed from this mission because of his cross from Jerusalem. He presents this episode as an unjustified challenge to his Christian identity.
A piece released in November 2024 makes an essential distinction. In an email dated 14 January 2021, DeRicko Gaither reported the tattoo « Deus vult » and raised a possible internal threat. The document, which was examined by the American press, does not refer to the torso cross as the reason for its warning.
This report establishes the existence of a concern transmitted to the hierarchy. It is not worth condemning or demonstrating a violent project. Nor does it allow all subsequent decisions to be re-established by itself. Hegseth denounced a hostile treatment of Christians; This challenge is part of the file, as is the specific content of the email.
« Kafir », a different controversy in March 2025
Training images broadcast in March 2025 highlighted an Arabic inscription on his right arm: « kafir ». The term is generally translated as « unbeliever » or « unfaithful ». In its theological use, it refers to the refusal or denial of divine truths. Its translation is therefore not sufficient to explain the political message of a person who chooses to apply himself.
On March 27, 2025, the Council on American Islamic Relations published an explicit critique of the tattoo. Its director, Nihad Awad, saw it as a demonstration of hostility towards Muslims. This is the interpretation of a Muslim civil rights organisation, not an explanation given by Hegseth.
The chronology also requires a correction: the media attention of March 2025 does not prove that the tattoo had just been made. Reports were already on his presence in earlier photographs. A certain date of implementation is not established in the items consulted. To call it a « new tattoo » would therefore be misleading.
Why the Debate Is Beyond His Body
A military official can have a faith and express it. The debate becomes institutional when it leads staff of different convictions and represents the United States with foreign partners. The association of Christian, warrior and national references can then be received other than an individual religious testimony.
For audiences in the Middle East, the words related to the crusades and the Arabic inscription have a particular historical burden. This reception deserves to be explained. However, it does not allow us to deduce from a tattoo the objectives of a military operation. These must be established by decisions, orders, statements and facts.
The official images also show how these marks become visible: short sleeves, training sessions and close proximity to the military. The photograph taken in Panama on April 8, 2025, used to illustrate this article, belongs to this register. She documents a real workout and shows several tattoos on the arm. It is neither a November 2026 discovery nor additional evidence of the National Guard episode.
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