Hegseth Targeted by False Claim on Women’s Vote

Download IPFS

A viral claim that U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth believes women should not have the right to vote has spread across social media, raising questions about the accuracy of online political discourse and how media narratives can be distorted.

On 12 August 2025, a post on X alleged that Hegseth “doesn’t think women should be voting.” The post garnered more than 12,000 views, while a similar message from August 8, accusing him of endorsing “Christian nationalist pastors,” reached over 284,000 views and 16,000 likes. The spark for these claims came from a CNN report about Christ Church, a conservative evangelical congregation in Moscow, Idaho, which Hegseth had attended.

Hegseth praised the church in an X post on 7 August, quoting its motto: “All of Christ for All of Life.” That simple endorsement was quickly seized upon by critics, who tied him to doctrinal positions expressed by church leaders, regardless of whether he shared them.

The CNN piece highlighted comments from Christ Church pastors Toby Sumpter and Jared Longshore. Sumpter described his ideal system as one where households voted together, usually with the husband casting the ballot. Longshore went further, stating he would support repealing the 19th Amendment, which in 1920 granted American women the right to vote.

These remarks, made by pastors, not Hegseth, formed the basis for the online accusation. Critics blurred the line between the church’s doctrine and Hegseth’s personal views, using guilt by association to cast doubt on his commitment to democratic principles.

There is no record of Hegseth ever calling for the repeal of women’s suffrage. He has made no public statement supporting such a policy, nor has he directly commented on the church’s teaching on household voting. Christ Church leaders also confirmed that Hegseth and his family attended services but never joined the church or discussed political doctrine with them.

Douglas Wilson, Christ Church’s senior pastor, later clarified that their system does not entirely reject women voting. In cases where women are heads of households, such as widows, they cast the vote on behalf of their family.

The right to vote, secured for American women more than a century ago, is a cornerstone of civil and political rights. Suggesting that a senior government official opposes that right is a serious charge. But in this case, the allegation rests on weak foundations. By linking Hegseth to the views of pastors he has not endorsed, critics have manufactured a controversy that undermines reasoned debate.

This incident reflects a wider problem. Increasingly, social media amplifies unverified claims, while some media outlets present conservative figures in the harshest possible light. Instead of engaging with Hegseth’s actual record as Defence Secretary, opponents sought to paint him as hostile to women’s rights without evidence.

For conservatives, the lesson is clear: traditional values and church affiliations will continue to be weaponised in the public square. For voters, the challenge is to separate fact from rumour.

The claim that Pete Hegseth believes women should not vote is unproven and unsupported by any of his statements. What is evident, however, is that misinformation about basic human rights is being used as a political tool. Ensuring accuracy in reporting is not just a matter of fairness; it is a matter of protecting public trust in a democratic society.