In Nashville, Hegseth talks “Western values,” Christian nationalism

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to the NRB International Christian Media Convention at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on February 19, 2026 (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth touted “Western values” and decried foreign influences and what he called “godless leftists” during a speech to a Christian media convention in Nashville on Thursday. 

Hegseth took the stage to speak to attendees of the National Religious Broadcasters’ International Christian Media Convention as a band from Ft. Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division played John Phillips Sousa marches. 

“As you know there’s a direct through line from the Old and New Testament Christian gospels  to the development of Western civilization and the United States of America,” Hegseth said. 

Chants of “USA! USA!” and shouts of “Hallejulah!” broke out during his speech and later the crowd chanted “Christ is King!”

Hegseth hewed to a Christian nationalist message, citing the “Western Christian ethic” and said the world is beset by “dangerous and godless foreign ideologies that sow doubt, confusion and death.”

Themes of the speech included anti-immigration and anti-foreigner rhetoric, as well as anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ messages.

Hegseth tied the founding of the United States to Christianity, said the influence of the Christian faith on the military is woven throughout the U.S. Army’s history and promoted the policies of President Donald Trump.

“Like few presidents before him, President Trump fights for Christians and the values they hold dear,” Hegseth said. He described Trump as a “fighter for people of faith,” saying Trump is a fierce defender of Christians who fights for religious liberty and combats anti-Christian bias daily.

Trump provided a tailored video message to the group on the first night of the convention, during which about 150 people walked out of the room, according to several attendees who were present.

Frequent and sustained standing ovations interrupted Hegseth’s speech, with one of the most boisterous coming after he said the Pentagon “trains our troops, we no longer trans our troops,” referring to transgender members of the military. 

After Trump was inaugurated in January 2025, on his first day in office he signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military. 

“Gone is godless and divisive DEI, gone is gender-bending quotas, gone is climate change worship of a false god,” said Hegseth. “We are not in woke we trust, we are in God we trust.”

“The other side is fueled by godless and toxic ideologies, foreign to the Western way of life, with tolerant hearts filled with rage and hate,” he said.

Since Trump took office, he has initiated a sweeping rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, which seek to promote fair treatment of people who have been marginalized or discriminated against, targeting federal agencies, contractors and colleges and universities.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Education dropped their appeal of an August ruling by a federal court judge that the move to strip universities of the ability to have DEI policies infringed on First Amendment rights.

Trump has also advocated for a return to use of fossil fuels, rolling back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and cutting consumer tax subsidies on electric vehicle purchases, a move with ramifications in Tennessee: In December, Ford Motor Co. scrapped plans to produce electric trucks at its massive BlueOval City manufacturing campus, opting to switch to gas-powered vehicle production.

Hegseth closed by knitting together political policies and religious beliefs. 

“Protecting our borders from criminals who steal from us, assault our loved ones and poison our citizens is not political, it’s biblical,” he said. “Standing guard over our children rather than letting them be taught perverse sexual practices … is not political, it’s biblical.”

Rebecca Wadas traveled from Fairfax, Virginia, to attend the convention. 

“As a mother, I care about the future for our kids,” said Wadas of Hegseth. “His comments about protecting our kids connected with me, but I would have liked to have heard him speak more about that.”

A survey released this week by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute found 36% of Tennesseans support or sympathize with Christian nationalism, the belief that the U.S. exists for the benefit of Christians. 

The poll found that Christian nationalist beliefs are strongest in the Southeast and Midwest, with 16 states ranking higher than Tennessee for percentage of people adhering to, or sympathizing with, the concept.