Jewish commentator Rick Steves has no problem with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's request for Americans to pray for the safety of troops during a Pentagon press briefing, despite his Jewish heritage and tradition. Steves, who was raised in a tradition that predates Christianity by a millennium, argues that he has no issue with the idea that a Christian politician expressing his Christian faith in public is seen as a threat to theocracy. He argues that minority rights do not restrict the government to convert, but they protect the full protection of the law and the full dignity of citizenship regardless of their faith. He also criticizes critics who suggest that mentioning Jesus at a press conference is an act of aggression against anyone, arguing that it does not infringe on the freedom of expression in America as a majority-Christian nation. Steges argues that the confinconscence of religious persecution and majoritarian culture is causing serious damage to civic life.