US President-elect Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense.

The 44-year-old man, who served in the U.S. Army National Guard, is covered in tattoos.

Days after his appointment, concerns were raised about his inks’ ties to extremist groups.

Here’s everything we know about his many tattoos and the controversy surrounding them.

‘Deus Vult’ tattoo

Hegseth’s bicep bears the phrase “Deus Vult,” which is associated with white supremacist organizations.

The Latin phrase “Deus Vult” means “God Wills”.

The far right popularized the phrase as a slogan against the spread of Islam.

Associated Press reported that the tattoo had previously resulted in Hegseth being flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow soldier. The report followed an email to the outlet from a fellow Guardsman who was the unit’s security director and was on the counterterrorism team at the time, proving concerns were raised about the bicep tattoo at the time.

The AP report angered people on both sides, including vice president-elect J.D. Vance.

“They are attacking Pete Hegseth for having a Christian slogan tattooed on his arm,” Vance wrote to X. “This is disgusting anti-Christian bigotry from the EP and the entire organization should be ashamed of itself.”

According to former White House Homeland Security and counterterrorism advisor Olivia Troye, Hegseth should not be considered for the job because of this sign. “Pete Hegseth’s tattoos are white nationalist tattoos,” he wrote.

“Federal law enforcement knows these symbols well. Hegseth was banned from serving in the national guard at Biden’s inauguration ceremony because of these tattoos. The Senate should consider this as disqualifying for the Secretary of Defense nominee…”

According to Hegseth, the phrase “Deus Vult” is also the last two words of the 2020 book. American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free.

The tattoo becomes even more controversial given Hegseth’s history of downplaying the role of military members and veterans in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and criticizing the Pentagon’s subsequent efforts to combat extremism in the ranks. He also supported members of the military accused of war crimes and criticized the military’s justice system.

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Jerusalem Cross

The large Jerusalem Cross carved on his chest is perhaps his most well-known tattoo.

A large cross surrounded by four smaller crosses is the symbol dating back to the Crusades. Some far-right groups have recently adopted the sign as a symbol of the struggle for Western civilization.

The tattoo made headlines in 2020, when Hegseth was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.

He claimed during a podcast interview that he was fired because of his Jerusalem Cross tattoo.

“I was considered an extremist by my National Guard unit in Washington, D.C., because of my tattoo,” Hegseth said on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast a few months ago. “And my orders to protect Biden’s inauguration have been rescinded. “Jerusalem cross tattoo, it’s just a Christian symbol… (this) is what deprives me of the invitation.”

Shortly thereafter, he said, he decided to end his military service in disgust.

Extremist?

said retired Staff Sergeant DeRicko Gaither, who served as the D.C. Army National Guard’s director of physical security in January 2021 and served on the counterterrorism force protection team. access point He said he investigated the tattoos and determined they had sufficient connections to extremist groups to forward the email to his commanders.

According to Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, many of Hegseth’s tattoos are associated with the expression of religious belief, but they have also been adopted by some far-right groups and violent extremists. Their meaning depends on context, he said.

Former Navy intelligence officer Travis Akers, who first saw the photos in a group chat, then researched them and decided to share the photos on social media, said: “Seeing this on a soldier’s body was quite alarming, but even knowing that a person who chose to wear these symbols could lead the world’s most powerful nuclear army.” “It is now more worrying that he was nominated as

Some extremists cite their affiliation with Christian crusades to express anti-Muslim sentiment.
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism In 2023, the lyrics appeared in the notebooks of Allen, Texas hitman Mauricio Garcia. Far-right extremist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, had similar signs in his manifesto.

surprise date

Hegeth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and was among Trump’s most unlikely nominees in a Cabinet lineup that also included controversial former congressman Matt Gaetz.

“Pete spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Corps and the Country. “Pete is strong, smart, and a true believer in America First,” the president-elect said in a statement Tuesday. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on alert; Our Military Will Be Great Again and America Will Never Go Back.”

After working as a banker at Bear Stearns, Hegseth led advocacy groups for veterans and went on tours with the Army National Guard in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He began working for Fox News in 2014 and is a co-host of “Fox & Friends,” known for his positive coverage of the Trump campaign.

With input from agencies