A sharp divide has emerged within conservative circles after Megyn Kelly publicly criticized Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over their use of religious imagery and language in political contexts.
The backlash intensified following Trump’s decision to share an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. The image quickly drew criticism, including from parts of his own political base. Trump later removed the post and claimed he believed the image showed him as a doctor.
Kelly rejected that explanation outright. She described it as “such a f—— lie” during a recent episode of her podcast.
“Take it down and just say you’re sorry or don’t say you’re sorry and take it down, but don’t try to gaslight us. We can see,” she said.
The controversy did not end there. Trump posted another AI-generated image, this time portraying himself being embraced by Jesus, reinforcing criticism that he was leaning into religious symbolism despite public concern.
At the same time, Trump has been engaged in a growing dispute with Pope Leo XIV. The pope recently condemned ongoing U.S. military operations in Iran and called for a peaceful resolution, prompting pushback from Trump.
Kelly also took aim at Hegseth’s remarks during a Pentagon press briefing. Responding to reporters’ questions about U.S. military actions in Iran, Hegseth compared journalists to the Pharisees, a group in the New Testament often portrayed as opposing Jesus.
He said members of the press “are just like these Pharisees,” arguing that “politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors.”
Kelly called the comparison inappropriate, especially given the context of military operations.
“Religion — obviously it’s a major part of Pete’s life, and I’m in favor of that — it doesn’t belong when you’re talking about our plans to wipe out people, including possible civilians, as President Trump continues to threaten,” she said.
“These two things do not belong together, and … I’m just really uncomfortable with it,” she continued. “If [former President] Joe Biden did this through his Pentagon, I would have ripped him a new one, and therefore notwithstanding my friendship with Pete, I feel the need to register my strong objection to what he’s doing.”
Her criticism aligns with concerns raised by Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser. Speaking on his “War Room” show, Bannon warned that Hegseth’s religious references were distracting from critical military updates.
“That’s all the mainstream media is covering right now — is Pete’s opening remark about the Gospel according to Mark and the reference to the Pharisees. … We ought to tone that down and focus, when we got the Pentagon, let’s have a military briefing,” he said.
