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Donald Trump administration officials both quoting and misquoting the Bible | The Jerusalem Post

Jpost · · 1254 words · By RABBI STUART HALPERN; JTA
Role of Religion in American Politics American History and Tradition
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-894519

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Appeal to Authority 80% confidence
Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.
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Cherry Picking 85% confidence
Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.
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Glittering Generalities 90% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
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“In a Pentagon prayer service on April 15, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quoted what seemed to be a verse from the ancient Hebrew prophet Ezekiel, but was, in fact, from the Gospel of Tarantino, as Stephen Colbert quipped.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently report that Pete Hegseth delivered a prayer at a Pentagon service that resembled a fictionalized Bible verse from 'Pulp Fiction,' confirming the core elements of the claim. The sources treat the quote as a reference to Tarantino's work.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American government official and former television personality who has served since 2025 as the 29th United States secretary of defense. Hegseth studied p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hegseth
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States secretary of defense (SecDef), secondarily titled the secretary of war (SecWar), is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Def…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. secretary of defense, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Secretary_of_Def…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In response, Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, released a statement on X noting that the homage to the auteur’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction was intentional.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently report that Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, released statements defending Hegseth and addressing the resemblance of the prayer to 'Pulp Fiction,' confirming the claim's details.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American government official and former television personality who has served since 2025 as the 29th United States secretary of defense. Hegseth studied p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hegseth
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web search NEUTRAL — Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, released a statement defending Hegseth, arguing that "anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality." By Jam…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/pete-heg…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, took to X and defended Hegseth despite the obvious similarities with the fake Bible passage in Pulp Fiction.Simulation shows what actually happens to your skin …
https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/pentagon-spokesperson-pe…
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
“Two days later, The New York Times suggested that President Donald Trump was likely participating in “America Reads the Bible,” a marathon reading of scripture to take place in Washington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible, as a means to repair his relationship with Catholics after he publicly sparred with the pope over the Iran war and deleted a tweet depicting himself as Jesus.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists only of general Wikipedia entries for The New York Times, which do not mention the specific event, the suggested purpose (repairing relations with Catholics), or the specific details regarding the Pope/Iran war. No web search or cross-reference confirms this detailed narrative.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times (NYT) is a newspaper based in Manhattan, New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces and reviews. One of the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly since October 12, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes The New York Times and its associated publications such as The New York Times International Edition and other media prop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Company
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“At the event on April 21, Trump read a passage from 2 Chronicles, in which God promises to heal the land if its people “humble themselves, pray, and seek My favor.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently report that President Donald Trump read a passage from 2 Chronicles 7 (specifically mentioning 2 Chronicles 7:14 or 7:11-22) during an 'America Reads the Bible' event on April 21, 2026, confirming the date, passage, and context.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president for a term of four years. In the 2024 elections, then-former preside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidentia…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — At 79 years old, Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, became the oldest person in American history to become president upon his second inauguration in 2025. In July 2024, fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_and_health_concerns_about_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“William Bradford, who signed the Mayflower Compact and would serve as the territory’s governor for roughly three decades, paraphrased the Exodus story and Moses’ final speech in Deuteronomy.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently state that William Bradford, who signed the Mayflower Compact and served as governor for roughly three decades, paraphrased the Exodus story and Moses' final speech in his writings, confirming the claim's key details.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The area that is now Massachusetts was colonized by English settlers in the early 17th century and became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the 18th century. Before that, it was inhabited by a vari…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Massachusetts
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the early 17th century, thousands of English Puritans settled in North America, almost all in New England. Puritans were intensely devout members of the Church of England who believed that the Chur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Puritans_in_Nor…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the Exodus from Egypt. He is considered the most important prophet in Judaism and Samaritanism, and one of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Ten years later, the Puritan leader John Winthrop would describe in a similarly Hebraic lens how if Massachusetts Bay Colony’s residents would do right in the eyes of the Lord, “We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when 10 of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies... For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.””
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple web search results discuss John Winthrop's 'city upon a hill' reference and his role as governor, none of the provided sources contain the specific quote or the detailed context regarding the 'hebraic lens' or the precise wording of the statement as claimed. The evidence is insufficient to corroborate the full claim, but the web search results confirm Winthrop's general role and the 'city upon a hill' concept, making it single-source for the full claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Winthrop led the first large wave of colonists from England in 1630 and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years. His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Winthrop
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web search NEUTRAL — Governor John Winthrop John Winthrop travelled to the New World aboard the Arbella. He was elected and dismissed as governor of the Massachsetts Bay Colony several times.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/3c.asp
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web search NEUTRAL — John Winthrop's 'city upon a hill' reference for Massachusetts Bay Colony entailed its role as a model of Christian virtue and righteousness for others to follow.
https://brainly.com/question/37633672
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“Winthrop was misquoting Leviticus 26:8: “Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently quote or reference the specific text of Leviticus 26:8, stating the passage involves the numbers 'Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand,' confirming the misquotation detail.
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web search NEUTRAL — Winthrop was misquoting of Leviticus 26:8: “Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand.”And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with …
https://www.jta.org/2026/04/28/ideas/trump-administration-of…
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web search NEUTRAL — And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
https://biblehub.com/leviticus/26-8.htm
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web search NEUTRAL — 7You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
https://www.bible.com/bible/2016/LEV.26.NRSV
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“John Adams, in 1776, after hearing a sermon paralleling the Patriot cause to Israel’s fight against Pharaoh’s tyranny, ruminated: “Is it not a Saying of Moses, ‘who am I, that I should go in and out before this great People’?””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently report that John Adams, in 1776, quoted the phrase 'who am I, that I should go in and out before this great People,' and that this quote was related to paralleling the Patriot cause to Israel's fight against Pharaoh's tyranny, confirming the core narrative.
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web search NEUTRAL — John Adams, in 1776, after hearing a sermon paralleling the Patriot cause to Israel’s fight against Pharaoh’s tyranny, ruminated: “Is it not a Saying of Moses, ‘who am I, that I should go in and out b…
https://www.jta.org/2026/04/28/ideas/trump-administration-of…
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web search NEUTRAL — sons of liberty. Before 1776, many colonists complained about violations of their rights. Their demands were satirized by British political cartoons that highlighted violent acts against customs offic…
https://www.americanheritage.com/meaning-1776
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web search NEUTRAL — The phrase “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country” was reportedly said by Nathan Hale, an American soldier and spy during the Revolutionary War. He is famously known for expres…
https://sorumatik.co/t/who-reportedly-said-at-his-hanging-i-…
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“It actually was not a saying of Moses. Adams was conflating Moses’ “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh...” speech in Exodus 3:11 with a request by a much later Jewish ruler, King Solomon, that God “give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people” (2 Chronicles 1:10).”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, making it impossible to verify or disprove using the provided sources.
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“A year earlier, the equally-enamored-with-biblical-analogies Abigail Adams had written to John, wishing upon the “wretched” loyalist and former royal governor of Massachusetts Bay, Thomas Hutchinson, “the fate of Mordecai,” mistakenly swapping in the hero of the Purim story for his villainous foil Haman, who is hanged at the end of the story.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, making it impossible to verify or disprove using the provided sources.
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“Abraham Lincoln, perhaps the country’s most biblically literate president ever, often weaved scripture into his seminal addresses, from “four score and seven years ago,” which was likely borrowed from a rabbinic sermon citing a verse in Psalms, to a purposeful paraphrase of Exodus 19:5 when, on Feb. 21, 1861, he referred to Americans writ large as the Lord’s “almost chosen people.””
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“Martin Luther King Jr. made reference to that same mountaintop as Bradford in the civil rights leader’s final speech on April 3, 1968, in Memphis.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.