Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Crusades Obsession Fuels Dangerous Iran War Mindset

Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense under the Trump administration, has a well-documented obsession with the Crusades — those brutal medieval wars waged by European Christians to seize control of the Holy Land from Muslim rulers between the late 11th and 13th centuries. This fixation is more than historical curiosity. It seeps into his worldview and informs how he approaches the current US conflict with Iran.

Hegseth’s tattoos referencing the Crusades and his 2020 book American Crusade — which ends with a chapter titled “Make the Crusade Great Again” — reveal a mindset that casts the Crusades as a noble, defensive struggle. He portrays Christianity as under siege by Islam, forced to fight back or face annihilation. This narrative is a gross oversimplification and distortion of medieval history, as highlighted by medieval historian Matthew Gabriele. The Crusades were complex, bloody campaigns marked by conquest, religious zealotry, and atrocities on all sides — hardly the “defensive war” Hegseth claims.

Why does this matter now? Because Hegseth’s romanticized and skewed view of the Crusades bleeds into his strategic thinking about the war in Iran. Vox producer Nate Krieger’s investigation shows how this “holy war” mentality risks framing the conflict in stark religious and existential terms, escalating tensions and justifying aggressive policies under the guise of a civilizational clash.

This is not just academic nitpicking. When a top defense official views modern conflicts through the lens of medieval religious wars, it distorts US foreign policy priorities and can lead to reckless military escalation. Hegseth’s Crusades obsession feeds into the Trump administration’s broader pattern of using foreign conflicts as distractions from domestic scandals and as tools to consolidate authoritarian power.

The dangerous symbolism also extends beyond policy. The Crusades have been co-opted by white supremacist and far-right groups as a rallying cry, with many medieval symbols designated as hate symbols by organizations like the Anti-Defamation League. Hegseth’s public embrace of this imagery signals a troubling overlap between extremist narratives and official government rhetoric.

In short, Pete Hegseth’s medieval fixation is not harmless nostalgia. It is a warning sign of how historical myths can poison policy and fuel authoritarian impulses in the Trump administration’s approach to Iran and beyond. We need clear-eyed, evidence-based leadership — not crusader fantasies — to navigate these dangerous times.