Last week, a storm erupted in Washington after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted a video on X (formerly Twitter) featuring Christian nationalist Pastor Doug Wilson and other preachers advocating for the repeal of the 19th Amendment—which, since 1920, has guaranteed American women the right to vote. Hegseth, who has become known for his outspoken Christian views, captioned the video, “All of Christ for All of Life.” The video, originally part of a CNN segment, spotlighted the controversial ideology of Christian reconstructionism, which calls for society to be governed by biblical law and opposes women’s suffrage.
The backlash was swift. At a Pentagon press briefing on Thursday, Hegseth’s press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, faced a barrage of questions about the defense secretary’s stance. When asked directly if Hegseth believed women should keep the right to vote, Wilson replied, “Of course the secretary thinks that women should have the right to vote.” But her patience was clearly tested—she called follow-up questions on the subject “stupid,” and repeatedly refused to clarify which aspects of the “traditional Christian viewpoints” in the video Hegseth actually endorsed. According to The Daily Beast, Wilson did confirm that Hegseth “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings,” but she added, “I’m not going to litigate every single aspect of what he may or may not believe in a certain video.”
Despite the Pentagon’s insistence that Hegseth supports women’s suffrage, the controversy has not died down. Political opponents, including prominent Democrats, have called for Hegseth to apologize and resign. Wilson, however, was unequivocal: “Absolutely not.” The incident has reignited anxieties among women’s rights advocates, especially in light of recent moves by the Trump administration and its allies to roll back protections and opportunities for women in the military and beyond.
Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee, took to social media to warn that Hegseth’s actions were a harbinger of a broader assault on women’s rights. “You know how people called women hysterical for predicting the right wing would take down Roe v. Wade (which they’ve done) and then attack access to birth control (which they’re doing)? Hear me when I say that women’s very right to vote is next,” she wrote.
Hegseth’s reposting of the video is not an isolated incident. He has longstanding ties to Doug Wilson’s church network, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, and has publicly praised Wilson’s teachings. As CNN and HuffPost reported, Wilson is a leading advocate of Christian reconstructionism, an ideology that not only opposes women’s suffrage but also prescribes rigid gender roles and the subordination of women within both church and state. In the video, Wilson states, “In my ideal society, we would vote as households. And I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household.”
Critics see Hegseth’s actions as part of a larger pattern. Since becoming defense secretary in January, Hegseth has canceled programs designed to increase women’s participation in national security, including a Trump-era initiative axed in April. He has also removed several high-ranking women from their posts, including Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, as well as Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield and Adm. Linda Fagan, the first female service chief in U.S. history. Hegseth has frequently criticized what he calls the military’s “woke” culture and has declared that generals and admirals involved in “DEI woke s--t has got to go.” According to The Daily Beast, these moves have disproportionately targeted senior women in the armed services.
Julie Ingersoll, a University of North Florida religious studies professor specializing in Christian reconstructionism, cautions that these beliefs are not as fringe as many might hope. “They are explicit about the fact that women should submit. The model for women shouldn’t have a vote is already there,” she told HuffPost. Ingersoll warns that dismissing these ideas as mere extremism is dangerous. “You think you don’t have to pay attention to it, but they’ve been building on this for years.”
The political context has only heightened concerns. The Trump administration has been closely associated with Christian nationalist policies, particularly through Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that critics say has influenced the administration’s second-term agenda. “Project 2025 was written by Christian nationalists,” Ingersoll said. “And that’s who the administration has hired.”
Recent legislative efforts have also raised alarms. In April, the House passed the SAVE Act, which would require voters to register using the name on their birth certificate or passport—a move that could disenfranchise millions of married women whose legal names differ from those on their birth certificates. According to Politico, up to 69 million women could be affected if the bill becomes law. While the bill has not advanced in the Senate, its passage in the House underscores a broader strategy: rather than openly repealing rights, opponents seek to chip away at access through restrictive laws and administrative hurdles.
Kelly Marino, a Sacred Heart University historian specializing in women’s suffrage, points out that such tactics have already been used to erode voting rights for marginalized groups, especially Black Americans. “Different policies to make it harder for people to vote will impact women of all different backgrounds,” Marino told HuffPost. Voter ID laws, changes to polling locations, and reductions in early voting disproportionately affect women, especially those with nontraditional work hours or caregiving responsibilities.
For many, the underlying political motivation is clear. Women have turned out to vote in higher numbers than men in every presidential election since 1984, and they lean heavily Democratic. Young women, in particular, have become more liberal in recent years—a trend that has translated into record numbers of women being elected to public office. The gender gap in voting patterns is now a defining feature of American politics.
Despite the heated rhetoric and legislative threats, experts do not believe women’s right to vote is in imminent danger of outright repeal. But they caution that the real risk lies in incremental restrictions that could undermine women’s political power. As Marino put it, “I don’t think we’re doomed, these policies are hitting people on a day-to-day level. I don’t think it’s a death sentence for women’s rights. People are going to wake up.”
As the debate continues, the controversy over Hegseth’s reposted video has become a flashpoint in the wider struggle over women’s rights, religious nationalism, and the future of American democracy. With the 2026 midterm elections looming, both sides are keenly aware that the battle for the ballot box is far from over.
