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Defense Secretary Recites Film Dialogue at Pentagon Ceremony, Prompting Official Response and Public Commentary

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Pentagon Ceremony Sparks Debate After Defense Secretary Quotes Pulp Fiction

On Wednesday, April 16, 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recited dialogue from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction during a Pentagon ceremony. The incident, captured on video and circulated online, drew an official statement from the Pentagon and commentary from several public figures. The dialogue in question is a fictional passage spoken by the character Jules Winnfield, played by Samuel L. Jackson, which stylizes the biblical verse Ezekiel 25:17.

Event Details

  • Date & Location: Wednesday, April 16, 2026, during a Pentagon ceremony described as a prayer service.
  • Action: Secretary Hegseth recited lines closely resembling dialogue from the film Pulp Fiction.
  • Context: In his remarks, Hegseth presented the lines as a "custom prayer," also referenced as the "CSAR prayer," which he stated was used by military personnel. He specifically mentioned the "brave warfighters of Sandy-1" in relation to a rescue mission.

Official Pentagon Response

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement addressing the incident.

Parnell stated that Secretary Hegseth shared a custom prayer used by warfighters, which was "inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction."

He asserted that both the custom prayer and the film dialogue were "reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17," which he noted Hegseth referenced in his remarks. Parnell characterized claims that the Secretary misquoted scripture as "fake news."

Public Commentary

Following the circulation of the video online, several public figures commented on the incident, primarily on social media platform X.

  • California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a video commenting on the incident. Some reports indicated his post misidentified which Pulp Fiction character Hegseth was quoting.
  • Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock shared a link to the video.
  • Author Don Winslow posted a critical message directed at Hegseth, which included descriptions such as "clown" and "the worst Secretary of Defense in the history of this nation."
  • Mary L. Trump, niece of former President Donald Trump, posted a sarcastic comment about mistaking film dialogue for scripture.
  • Actor Michael McKean suggested Hegseth should have quoted a different scene from Pulp Fiction.
  • Former NBC News anchor Chuck Todd posted that Hegseth has "the worst case of poser complex DC's ever seen."
  • Additional commentary was reported from tennis player Martina Navratilova.

Additional Context

  • The film dialogue recited is famously delivered by the character Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction. It is a fictional, stylized version of Ezekiel 25:17 and is not a direct biblical quotation.
  • As of the reports, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and actor Samuel L. Jackson had not publicly commented on Hegseth's use of the dialogue.
  • Some reports noted the incident drew comparisons to comedy sketches, with mentions that the television program Saturday Night Live was on hiatus until May. Other reports suggested similar incidents might have been treated differently in previous administrations.