By Rob C. Art by Bruce MacKinnon
TL;DR: The war with Iran isn’t being managed by a Department of Defense; it’s being run by a 12th-century reenactment society with a trillion-dollar budget. Between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “Deus Vult” (God wills it) ink and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s “Trump has been Chosen” messaging, the administration has successfully rebranded a geopolitical disaster as a divine mandate. By reframing “overwhelming violence” as a religious necessity, the “Epstein Class” has found the ultimate loophole: you don’t need to be accountable to the voters if you’re only answering to the Almighty. Welcome to the New Middle Ages—hope you brought your own chainmail.
If you had “Medieval Holy War” on your 2026 bingo card, congratulations—you’re either a prophet or you’ve been paying attention to the Secretary of Defense’s tattoos.
While the rest of the world is trying to figure out how to lower the price of eggs and avoid a global energy meltdown, “Genghis Don” and his band of merry crusaders have decided that the best way to handle a complex maritime dispute in the Persian Gulf is to treat it like the Siege of Jerusalem. We aren’t just fighting for the Strait of Hormuz anymore; apparently, we’re fighting for the very soul of Christendom.
Crusader Cosplay Meets Nuclear Weapons Let’s talk about the man currently holding the remote for the world’s most lethal military: Pete Hegseth, former Fox & Friends weekend host, current Defense Secretary, permanent embarrassment to anyone who values secular government. Most Secretaries of Defense have a background in logistics, grand strategy, or at least a passing familiarity with the Geneva Conventions. Hegseth has a background in morning television and a deep devotion getting hammered.
Hegseth sports two very specific pieces of ink that tell you everything you need to know about the current “God’s Plan” for Iran: “Deus Vult”: Latin for “God wills it.” This was the battle cry of the First Crusade in 1096—a conflict defined by the indiscriminate slaughter of anyone who didn’t share a specific brand of European theology. Today, it’s the calling card of extremist groups who think the Enlightenment was a “liberal mistake.” The Jerusalem Cross: A massive symbol of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. —five crosses representing Christ’s wounds, used by Crusaders during the conquest and occupation of Jerusalem.
When your Secretary of Defense literally wears the symbols of holy war on his skin, his rhetoric starts to make a terrifying kind of sense. Hegseth has publicly “prayed” for God to grant America “overwhelming violence” against its enemies, and frames modern warfare not as a necessary evil, but as a moral absolute. Within the Pentagon, reports are filtering out that the war with Iran is being described in briefings as a “biblical necessity.” This isn’t “National Security.” It’s ‘Deus Vult’ with a side of Hellfire missiles.
The High Priestess of Spin: Karoline Leavitt Of course, a Holy War needs a propaganda machine to sell it to the “poorly educated.” Enter Karoline Leavitt. Her job isn’t to explain policy; it’s to provide the theological cover for the “Grandpa Grab-ass”. Leavitt’s messaging has consistently shifted from “The President is a great negotiator” to “The President is a vessel for the Divine.” By framing Trump as “Chosen” or “Guided by the hand of God,” she effectively removes his actions from the realm of human critique. If gas prices soar? It’s a test of faith. * If we bomb a civilian center? It’s God’s judgment. * If the mortgage rates hit double digits? The Lord works in mysterious (and expensive) ways. Leavitt’s function is to ensure that the MAGA base views the Iran conflict not as an optional war of choice, but as a spiritual obligation. She’s not a Press Secretary; she’s a televangelist for the military-industrial complex.
The Danger of Divine Authority The shift toward “Christian Nationalism” isn’t just about symbolism; it’s about the total erasure of accountability. When a government claims its authority comes from a Higher Power, the Constitution becomes a “suggestion” and the rule of law becomes an “inconvenience.” Christian Nationalism Reframes War as Holy Mission Trump started the Iran war for several reasons—to distract from the Epstein files, to look strong, to serve Netanyahu’s interests. But Christian nationalists like Hegseth and Leavitt have reframed it as “holy mission”. Not a war of choice. Not an illegal war. Not a catastrophic mistake. A divinely ordained campaign to advance Christian civilization against Islamic barbarism.
What’s happening in real-time: The Dehumanization of the “Enemy”: If the “other” isn’t just a geopolitical rival but a “demonic force,” then any amount of violence is justified. Ignoring the Facts: Who cares about the “facts” if you own the “Truth”? Silencing Dissent: If you question the war, you aren’t just a critic; you’re a heretic. We are watching the fusion of state violence with religious fervor. It is the most dangerous cocktail in human history. It’s what allowed the original Crusaders to justify the “Genocidal” logic of their era, and it’s what’s allowing the current administration to ignore the trillions of dollars and thousands of lives being flushed down the drain in the Persian Gulf.
“Deus Vult”—God wills it. What does God will, according to Pete Hegseth and the Christian nationalists running Trump’s war? God wills overwhelming violence. God wills dead Iranian children. God wills illegal wars based on lies. God wills theocratic rule. God wills Christian supremacy. God wills the end of secular democracy. This is the god they worship—not the Prince of Peace, but a god of war who blesses bombs and sanctifies slaughter. Not the god who said “blessed are the peacemakers,” but a god who ordains crusades against Muslim nations. This god is a fiction. A projection. An idol carved in the image of authoritarian violence and dressed in religious garments to make it palatable to the faithful.
A Chilling Conclusion: The Theocratic Trap As we watch our “Dictator Tot” receive another plaque from his sycophants, we need to realize that the “Strait to Hell” isn’t just a headline—it’s a destination. When religion is weaponized to justify state violence, democracy doesn’t just die; it’s sacrificed on an altar of someone else’s ego. The “Epstein Class” loves the idea of a “holy war” because it’s the ultimate distraction. While you’re focused on the war, they’re busy looting the treasury and shorting the oil markets. If we allow the “National Security Press Clearance” to be filtered through a “Faith Test,” the First Amendment is dead. If we allow “Deus Vult” to replace “E Pluribus Unum,” the Republic is dead. We are standing at the edge of a new Dark Age, and the people holding the torches are the ones who want to see the world burn in the name of a God they only use for a photo op. Have a great weekend… if you still believe in a future where the “truth” doesn’t require a prayer rug or a Crusader cross.
F*CK ICE, RELEASE ALL THE FILES!
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— Robert Cain, author of Democracy for Sale: How Corporate Greed Is Corrupting Democracy and Endangering the Planet. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Booksellers everywhere.