In March 2026, a rumor spread that Brooks Potteiger, Republican U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's pastor, said he wanted Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, dead.
Several posts relayed the rumor on Facebook. One X post included a video of Potteiger talking to podcast host Joshua Haymes, saying the two were "openly advocating for the death of James Talarico" (archived):
In addition, Snopes readers searched the website and emailed to verify whether Potteiger had said such words.
We found that Potteiger did say of Talarico, "We want him crucified with Christ," after Haymes said, "I pray that God kills him." But the context of the conversation suggests both men were speaking figuratively, wishing for Talarico to convert to their brand of Christianity. Because of this, we've rated this a mixture of true and false information.
Later, Potteiger posted a long statement and a shorter one on X to say that it was "Pauline language" (referring to Paul the Apostle) for conversion.
"We were referring to his conversion," Haymes told Snopes in an email.
We've also reached out to Potteiger to ask about the meaning behind the remarks and will update this story if he replies.
Hegseth's pastor
Potteiger is the head of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a Tennessee church to which Hegseth belongs.
In November 2024, in response to a now-deleted X post, Potteiger appeared to address Hegseth's controversial personal life and history (an examination of the replies and shares of the post revealed the broader context). Potteiger said he was Hegseth's pastor and that the soon-to-be defense secretary was a "member in good standing" (archived):
Haymes then shared Potteiger's post, naming Hegseth (archived):
The post came the day after Donald Trump, then the president-elect nominated Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.
In January 2025, Potteiger shared a photo of himself with Hegseth on X, voicing optimism about Hegseth's new role in the government (archived):
In May 2025, Hegseth invited Potteiger to lead a Christian invocation at the Pentagon. He did so another time in January 2026.
What Potteiger and Haymes said about Talarico
In a March 16, 2026, episode of Haymes' podcast "Red Pill Reformation," he and Potteiger discussed Talarico, who won Texas' Democratic primary for U.S. Senate seat earlier that month. Talarico, who has described himself as a devout Christian and a progressive, has been the target of heavy criticism from conservatives for "praising transgenderism," among other things. (For example, Talarico once said, "God is nonbinary.")
Then Haymes told Potteiger, "I pray that God kills him" (the exchange starts at the 16:58 mark):
The exchange went (emphasis ours):
HAYMES: So, but Madison [Haymes' wife] and I were talking about that. And so I say, and even in the debate, I think you might have seen it, but that I had on campus the other day, I pray that God kills him [Talarico]. Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ. That's the first thing …
POTTEIGER: We want him crucified with Christ.
HAYMES: That's exactly right.
POTTEIGER: I want him to be I think Saul of Tarsus, Talarico of Tarsus. Yes. That's what I want. Who would say, "I was holding the garments while they stoned Steven," and now I'm the … Yeah. That that's what we want.
HAYMES: Yes. We want death and new life, right?
The larger context suggested the men were speaking figuratively. Potteiger's mention of Saul of Tarsus evoked one of the most dramatic conversions to Christianity. According to the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee, a zealot dedicated to persecuting early followers of Jesus. As he traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus, Saul was blinded by a flash of light and he heard the voice of Jesus. Later, God called on Ananias to go to Saul to restore his sight. Saul then became Christian and took the name of Paul the Apostle.
In other words, the conversation between Potteiger and Haymes implied they were wishing for Talarico's conversion, not his literal death.
In two separate X posts, Potteiger appeared to confirm this interpretation (archived, archived). In the longer statement, he said, in part:
As a Christian, when I pray imprecatory psalms about those who celebrate baby murder, I am not, from my heart, praying for their death. I'm praying for their conversion. That the "old man" would die. That he would be "crucified with Christ" (Pauline language for conversation [conversion]) and raised to new life, and given a new heart with new desires.
"Quick clarification - when a Christian prays that someone be 'crucified with Christ' that does not include making a stop at the lumber yard," Potteiger said in the second post. "In [it] means repentance, salvation, and walking in newness of life."
In an email to Snopes, Haymes echoed this explanation:
We were calling for his conversion, not for his literal death. As to why we said it like that, It's really very simple, That's how the scriptures speak about it. My audience is Christian, and would have Immediately understood what we were saying. Biblically speaking, yes, the Saul "died" and became Paul. This is how the Bible speaks about Conversion. Dying to the old self, and living in Christ.
Haymes also insisted Talarico is "not a devout Christian," but an "apostate."
"If he does not repent (Which is precisely what I was calling for) He will stand before king Jesus And he will be cast into hell for eternity," Haymes said. "I pray this is not so. I pray that he repents."
For further reading, Snopes once examined the rumor that Hegseth believes women should not have the right to vote.