US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth accidentally exposes controversial tattoo
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: X/secdef
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is no stranger to a tattoo, but new photos have revealed an inking which has caused concern among critics.
Hegseth has a well documented collection of tattoos, and some of them were on show as he shared a picture of himself doing push-ups and jumping jacks as part of a visit to Navy Seals on Tuesday.
Eagle-eyed onlookers have spotted one particular tattoo under his arm, though, which has raised alarm.
Hegseth is already facing pressure to resign, after he shared details of Yemen strike plans in a group text chat which a journalist had accidentally been added to.
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He insisted that the messages didn't include classified information.
Onlookers have spotted the tattoo in his new social media post, which features a word written in Arabic.
It features the word 'kafir,' which in the Quran means 'disbeliever' or 'infidel' and he has had it tattooed underneath his 'Deus Vult' tattoo - regarded as a crusader slogan.
Nerdeen Kiswani is a pro-Palestinian activist and shared the news of the tattoo, writing: "Hegseth just got a kafir (كافر) tattoo under his Deus Vult tattoo—a Crusader slogan. This isn't just a personal choice; it's a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing U.S. wars."
Kiswani continued, slamming the design as a 'normalization of Islamophobia at the highest levels of power'.
Another wrote: "The كافر/kafir tattoo in the Quran means disbeliever. To the Muslim world the tattoo will be seen as an open declaration of Hegseth's enmity towards them."
Hegseth just got a kafir (كافر) tattoo under his Deus Vult tattoo—a Crusader slogan. This isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing U.S. wars.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) March 26, 2025
“Kafir” has been weaponized by far-right Islamophobes to mock and vilify Muslims. It’s… https://t.co/PJpMVOSZni
However, not everyone agreed, with others defending the use of it saying it is commonly seen and displayed by those who have served in the military.
"This word is widely recognized among military veterans, especially those who served in the Middle East, as a symbol of defiance against Islamic terrorists. It's commonly seen on stickers, the backs of trucks, T-shirts, and mugs. Personally, I had it on a hat, a mug, and even on the door of my office," insisted one Twitter user.
This isn't the first tattoo of his to cause upset, though.
People were originally upset by his chest tattoo of a Jerusalem Cross, with Democrats saying it is a right-wing extremist symbol.
Hegseth said the tattoo cost him the chance to serve in a secure detail.
"I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo by my National Guard unit in Washington, D.C., and my orders were revoked to guard the Biden inauguration… a Jerusalem cross tattoo which is just a Christian symbol," he mentioned in a podcast interview with Shawn Ryan.
He also said he has always loved tattoos, but waited until he was an adult to get them, with his first inking at the age of 37 or 38.
Hegseth said it was a 'spur-of-the-moment' choice to get tattooed, inspired his wife Jen getting one done.
He says his tattoos are a visible representation of his faith, his patriotism and his time in the military.
"Israel, Christianity and my faith are things I care deeply about," he said.