Fact Check: Did Kristi Neom say the Bible was originally written in English?
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: A claim has been circulating on social media platforms that, reacting to the Super Bowl Halftime show, which was performed in Spanish, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Neom said that Jesus wrote the Bible in English. The claim has sparked speculation with many questioning its authenticity. Let us fact-check the claim.
Claim: Kristi Neom said the Bible was written in English
According to the viral claim, Noem said, “If Jesus wanted America to speak Spanish and have the Super Bowl halftime show in a foreign language, he would not have written the Bible in English."
The claim surfaced following the Super Bowl halftime show, which was headlined by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and performed almost entirely in Spanish.
Following this, President Donald Trump and several senior administration officials criticized the event for largely using Spanish instead of English.
Critics of the Trump administration widely shared the rumored quote, pointing out that multiple authors wrote the books of the Bible, mostly in Hebrew and Greek.
The claim was shared on multiple social media platforms, including X, Threads, and Reddit.
Fact Check: False, the claim originated as a satire
The claim, however, is false as it originated from a Facebook page called Mrs. Putin, which describes itself as a satire/parody.
The claim was in the form of an image that included a picture of Neom, and the quote had a watermark labelling it as satire.
The account often reacts to fictional news stories and quotes of its own creation, and its posts tend to include consistent misspellings of news organizations, people, and titles, indicating that they aren't real news or quotes.
Similarly, the image includes the 'Fox Mews Chanel' logo instead of 'Fox News Channel,' which is the same misspelled logo that appears in the viral posts.
Additionally, 'Fox Mews Chanel' attributes the quote to 'Kristi Noaim' instead of 'Kristi Noem,' and refers to her title as 'Homelad Suckretary' instead of 'Homeland Security Secretary.'
Bad Bunny's Halftime show blends culture and politics
Bad Bunny’s set didn’t just rely on surprise guests and visuals; his performance carried a message.
After briefly speaking in English during his performance, he declared, “God bless America,” before naming several countries across the Americas, including Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and the United States.
The moment, along with a spiked football reading 'Together, we are America,' sparked discussion by broadening the traditional phrase’s meaning beyond the United States.
The show also wove in imagery and elements from Puerto Rican culture, from traditional games to nods to history and identity.
