The tattooed Secretary of Defense: Here is all of Pete Hegseth’s ink, and what it means
Plenty of ink to seal the deal with.
President-Elect Donald Trump’s controversial Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth is a war veteran, double Ivy Leaguer, a two-time Bronze Star recipient – and is covered in tattoos.
The “Fox and Friends” presenter, 44, served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and holds degrees from both Princeton and Harvard.
Hegseth’s father warned him off tattoos in his youth, so he only started indulging in them in his late 30s, he told the Big Lead.
The short timeframe has not stopped the would-be Pentagon chief from catching up: Hegseth now sports over a dozen tattoos on his right arm and across his chest – including a few that have already sparked controversy.
Jerusalem Cross
Hegseth’s most well-known tattoo is probably the large Jerusalem Cross on his chest.
The symbol made up of one large cross with four small crosses around it dates back to the Crusades, but has more recently been linked to problematic Christian nationalists.
The ink made headlines in 2021, when Hegseth was one of several National Guard members ordered to stand down from Joe Biden’s inauguration.
During a podcast interview, Hegseth claimed that he was axed due to his Jerusalem Cross tattoo.
“I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo by my National Guard unit in Washington D.C. and my orders were revoked to guard the Biden inauguration,” he said.
“My commander called me a day before tepidly and was like Major you can just stand down. We don’t need you, we’re good. I’m like what do you mean, everybody’s there. He said, like, no no no…he couldn’t tell me.”
“Deus Vult”
Hegseth also has the words “Deus Vult,” Latin for “God will it,” on his bicep.
The phrase is the closing sentence of his book, “American Crusade.”
Similar to the Jerusalem Cross, the “Deus Vult” is linked to the First Crusade in the early 1000s, when it was supposedly a battle cry for Christian invaders.
Cross and sword with Hebrew
Hegseth’s arm features a cross with a sword that references the New Testament verse Matthew 10:34, which reads “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
This tattoo is the first one Hegseth got while on vacation with his family, he told the Big Lead.
Later on, while working on a series for Fox, Hegseth accessorized the cross and sword with some Hebrew lettering spelling out the word “Yahweh,” he explained.
Hegseth said the word meant “Jesus in Hebrew,” but official sources actually translate the phrase as “I am” or “He will be,” which is the name of God in the Old Testament.
Chi-Ro
Sticking with his penchant for religious symbolism in his tattoos, Hegseth also tattooed the Greek letters chi and rho on his upper arm.
The letters are the first two of the word “Christ” in Greek, and the monogram was a common symbol in early Christianity.
“We the people”
Another theme in Hegseth’s tattoo collection is the US and military patriotism.
He has “We the people,” part of the opening line of the US Constitution, emblazoned on his forearm, above which he also has 1775 in Roman numerals.
1775 marks the year that Georgia joined the other twelve British colonies at the Second Continental Congress. The symbolic tribute is capped off by 13 stars around Hegseth’s elbow.
“Join, or Die” snake
Hegseth’s American Revolution tattoos also include a “Join, or Die” snake inked on his inside forearm.
The cartoon was first published in 1754 in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette – and it is rumored that the Founding Father himself actually drew the image, which shows a snake cut up into eight parts.
At the time, the striking image was meant to persuade the British government to join the colonies in the fight against the French and the Native Americans. Two decades later, the snake was revived as a popular symbol of colonial freedom.
American flag and an AR-15
Hegseth’s upper arm is decorated with the current American flag with an AR-15 rifle making up the bottom portion of the stripes.
In his interview with the Big Lead, Hegseth said the gun was the AR-15 he carried during his Iraq deployment.
Infantry regiment patch
One of Hegseth’s largest tattoos is the patch of his army regiment, the 187th Infantry, on his shoulder.
The regiment dates back to World War II, when it served as a glider unit.
Hegseth’s tattoo features the 187th’s coat of arms, which includes a sword pointing upwards, and its motto, “Ne Desit Virtus,” or “Let Valor Not Fall.”
