CBS News’ Margaret Brennan has been met with backlash for a social media post that appeared to question Pete Hegseth’s calls for prayers for American service members deployed overseas.
Speaking from the Pentagon Thursday morning, Hegseth said: ‘May Almighty God continue to bless our troops in this fight.
‘And again to the American people, please pray for them,’ he added. ‘Every day. On bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ.’
The Face the Nation host published her X post within minutes. It read: ‘The Secretary of Defense tells the American public to pray for our troops on bended knee and invoke Jesus’ name….’
It remains unclear what exactly offended the star, but the internet’s reaction was quick and pronounced.
‘If this seems even mildly controversial, it would legitimately blow your mind to read what the men who founded our nation did, said, and prayed in the name of Jesus Christ while governing,’ wrote pastor-turned-podcaster Josh Howerton.
‘What’s with the dot dot dots at the end of this? Presidents & military leaders have throughout American history asked for public prayers for our troops in harm’s way,’ added conservative journalist Jerry Dunleavy.
‘I pray for our troops in Jesus’ name. I’m not special, it’s fairly common,’ said Jonathan Pino, of The Washington Post.
Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan published the confusing X post within minutes of Pete Hegseth’s remarks on Thursday morning at the Pentagon
Hegseth asked citizens to pray for soldiers stationed overseas amid the ongoing war in Iran
USA Today columnist Daniel Darling further quipped, ‘Yep. Normal stuff. Wait till you read FDR’s prayer before D-Day.’
As the reception continued, the post caught the attention of the White House’s rapid response account.
‘Yes, and?’ the official account posted – before framing Brennan as a ‘leftist “reporter”’ with the latter put in quotes.
‘Correct. As Americans have been doing since George Washington prayed for our troops at Valley Forge,’ added the press secretary for Hegseth, Kingsley Wilson.
Brennan, meanwhile, is no stranger to ire from conservatives.
Recent on-air clashes with Trump officials like JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and since-fired Homeland Security head Kristi Noem have helped fan those figurative flames.
The fact that the network is in the midst of a massive overhaul by its right-leaning editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, has not helped either.
Brennan – known for her hard-hitting interview style – has continued to clash with prominent conservatives in the months since Weiss took the reins in October.
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan penned her response within minutes
Seen here, some of the pronounced social media response that ensued
A total of 13 US soldiers have died as a result of the escalating conflict in Iran. A US army team is seen moving the remains one of the deceased for a dignified transfer in Dover, Delaware, on March 7
In one of her first moves as boss, Weiss tweaked Face the Nation to be live-broadcast only.
Noem, weeks before, accused showrunners of deceptively editing some of her responses. Donald Trump aired similar allegations against CBS News in a since-settled lawsuit.
Similarly tense confrontations with Secretary of State Rubio and Vice President Vance have earned Brennan a reputation amongst conservatives of the old CBS – a consensus Weiss is seemingly seeking to change.
Her now five-month tenure, however, has been met with a rocky start ratings-wise.
She promoted former CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil to head CBS Evening News in January. Brennan sometimes hosts the show in a fill-in capacity.
Weiss joined CBS News in 2012 after stints as an anchor at Bloomberg Television and a correspondent at CNBC.
She has yet to respond to any of the backlash.
The Daily Mail has approached CBS for comment.
As of writing, 13 US soldiers have died, as the US’s military operations in Iran approaches its fourth week.
Hegseth said US forces struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran Wednesday during his Thursday speech. He promised that that Thursday would have the ‘largest strike package yet, just like yesterday was’.
Hegseth, 45, is a former Fox News host.
