After the pastor of Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Nashville church said on a podcast that he wants Texas Democrat James Talarico dead, the U.S. Senate hopeful has responded with a message of love.
Evangelical Pastor Brooks Potteiger, who’s been described as Hegseth’s closest spiritual adviser, repeatedly attacked Talarico last week on the podcast Reformation Red Pill, HuffPost reported. The show is hosted by congregant and former pastoral intern Joshua Haymes.
“I pray that God kills him,” Haymes said of Talarico, who represents the Austin area in the Texas House. “Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ. If it would not be within God’s will to do so, stop him by any means necessary.”
Potteiger concurred, adding, “We want him crucified with Christ.”
On the podcast, Haymes also said that he puts Talarico in the category of “public enemies,” or those you “are not called to love.”
However, rather than answering hate with hate, Talarico — a Presbyterian seminarian — responded with a message of love.
“Jesus loves. Christian Nationalism kills,” Talarico said Wednesday in an emailed statement. “You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you. I love you more than you could ever hate me.”
The 36-year-old Talarico, who’s running for Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s seat in the upper chamber, is a former San Antonio schoolteacher who planned on becoming a pastor before entering the political arena.
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