American Crusade
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | May 19, 2020 |
| Founder | Pete Hegseth |
| Products | Nonfiction book |
American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free is a 2020 nonfiction work authored by American TV host Pete Hegseth, who later became United States Secretary of Defense. The book calls for an "American crusade" targeting perceived adversaries such as left-wing activists and Islam, drawing significant attention following Hegseth’s nomination by President-elect Donald Trump.
Publication
This 352-page volume was released by Center Street on May 19, 2020.
Contents
Hegseth depicts "leftists" as threats undermining core American principles, accusing them of attacking the nation’s founders, flag, and capitalist system. He contends that ideological conflicts between Left and Right are irreconcilable, urging a "360-degree holy war" to safeguard what he defines as "Americanism," which primarily opposes feminism, globalism, Marxism, and progressivism. He warns that either "Americanism" will triumph or face extinction.
He labels leftists, progressives, and Democrats as foes of liberty and the U.S. Constitution, explicitly dismissing democracy as a leftist tool designed to amend the Constitution through majority rule. Hegseth endorses gerrymandering to favor candidates who champion freedom and cautions that a Democratic victory could provoke civil unrest, foreseeing a "national divorce" and an almost inevitable civil war involving military and police forces.
Hegseth urges conservatives to take an assertive stance against leftist adversaries, equating their actions with sedition. His approach advocates dismantling globalism, socialism, secularism, environmentalism, Islamism, gender ideology, and leftism—described as a "false religion." He promotes American nationalism, enhanced border security via a wall, tariff hikes, adoption of English as the national language, and grassroots conservative mobilization.
He critiques NATO as a defense alliance centered on Europe but predominantly financed by the U.S., calling for substantial reform. Europe is blamed for its military decline and dependency on American protection. Hegseth opposes Turkey’s NATO membership due to its Islamist ambitions and condemns U.S. financial support for the United Nations, accusing it of advancing anti-American and anti-Israel policies. He commends Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European right-wing populists resisting globalist agendas.
Regarding Islam, Hegseth argues it is not a peaceful faith and claims Muslim-majority nations suppress Christian and Jewish worship. He asserts Islamists aim for demographic and cultural domination of Europe and America through high birth rates and insular communities. He warns that without intervention, the U.S. will mirror Europe’s experience with growing Muslim populations and political influence. He describes Islamists’ use of "hegira" as a strategy of nonviolent conquest via cultural and political infiltration.
Hegseth maintains that radical Islamic elements are embedded within U.S. communities through mosques, educational institutions, Sharia councils, and political correctness that stifles opposition. He states the UK has effectively been "invaded" by Islam with numerous Muslim mayors in major cities and criticizes European countries for open-border policies that have permanently altered their demographics.
He lauds the historical Crusades as defensive campaigns safeguarding Christianity from medieval Islamic expansion and connects this heritage to contemporary support for Israel. Voting alone is deemed insufficient; active resistance is necessary. Hegseth forecasts that under President Biden there would be anti-Israel measures, restrictions on free speech and gun ownership, expanded socialism, weakened military capabilities, and broader abortion access. He accuses social media platforms of censoring conservatives more heavily than jihadists or leftists.
Hegseth denounces groups like the Council on American–Islamic Relations for advancing Islamist objectives in the U.S., while criticizing Senator Bernie Sanders for his popularity among Muslim Americans due to his positions on Palestine and Israel.
Reception
The publication attracted considerable attention in 2024 following the nomination of Hegseth by then US President-elect Donald Trump for the role of United States Secretary of Defense. His confirmation by the United States Senate occurred in January 2025.