By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
June 2, 2026
Gov. Mike Braun said Tuesday that Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith “probably regrets” how he phrased his recent comments that Americans need “permission to hate again” and his singling out of Islam as worthy of hatred.
But the Republican governor stopped short of directly rebuking his No. 2, even as other Indiana Republicans more sharply criticized Beckwith’s remarks.
Instead, Braun said Beckwith’s choice of words shifted attention away from his underlying concerns with Islam.
“Micah was making a point that he probably regrets in that fashion, because it’s taken away from the essence” of what the lieutenant governor was trying to say, Braun said. “Saying it in a way that brings up a word like hate, you probably just lost the impact of the point you were trying to make.”
Braun said public officials should be careful not to undermine their own messages.
“A lot of times you just think before you speak and make sure when you do say something, you’re not diminishing the point you’re making in the first place,” he said.
Braun’s comments to reporters Tuesday are the governor’s first public response to the controversy Beckwith ignited on May 21, when he appeared on the Christian conservative program FlashPoint. Beckwith described Islam as a “demonic death cult,” said he “hates Islam” and argued Americans should be given “permission to hate again.” Beckwith has since defended those remarks and continued to criticize Islam in media appearances and on social media.
Beckwith’s remarks drew condemnation from Muslim advocacy organizations, civil rights groups and some elected officials, including U.S. Rep. André Carson, Indiana’s only Muslim member of Congress. The Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network have called Beckwith’s rhetoric dangerous and urged state leaders to reject religious bigotry.
Responses from Republican officials at the Statehouse on Tuesday ranged from criticism of Beckwith’s rhetoric to support for some of the concerns he raised.
State Treasurer Daniel Elliott was the most critical of the lieutenant governor.
“That isn’t who we are as Hoosiers,” Elliott said. “We’re a very accepting state. I think the comments were made by somebody who likes attention.”
State Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said she does not share Beckwith’s views.
“He’s entitled to his opinion, and I think that there – as Gov. Braun mentioned – there are ways to say things and comments to make,” Brown said. “Certainly not something I would have said.”
State Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, said he shared Beckwith’s concerns that Sharia law is “not compatible with our constitutional process.” Asked if his comments were appropriate for a statewide elected official, Prescott responded: “That’s a question for him.”
Attorney General Todd Rokita, however, took a different approach, defending what he described as Beckwith’s legitimate concerns about national security and Sharia law.
Rokita said Muslims are entitled to constitutional protections and said he would “go out of [his] way” to defend religious freedom. But he argued there should be discussion about whether Islam can sometimes function as more than a religion.
“There has to be some exploration of whether Islam is also, through the mosques as we see in some parts of the world, in some parts of the U.S., even more than religion, but as a military avenue,” Rokita said.
Rokita’s comments come despite his and Beckwith’s previous support for broad religious liberty protections. Both signed Indiana’s “Churches’ Bill of Rights,” which states that references to churches also include “other houses of worship, such as synagogues and mosques.”
Rokita said he opposes any effort to implement Sharia law in Indiana and said concerns about national security should be taken seriously.
“To the extent that’s what the lieutenant governor meant, I’m with him on those respects,” Rokita said.
Democrats offered a far sharper rebuke.
Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, accused Beckwith of promoting division rather than addressing the challenges many Hoosiers face.
“When I see that we have our lieutenant governor making comments about this — teaching hate as a value and using taxpayer money to travel the state to do that — it doesn’t move us forward,” Yoder said.
She argued that rhetoric targeting Muslims runs counter to constitutional protections for religious freedom and distracts from the work voters expect lawmakers to do.
“Our focus is making sure that every Hoosier feels that they can stand a shot, regardless of their faith beliefs, or not having any faith beliefs, at putting together a great life for themselves and their families,” she said.
The controversy continues to spark reactions beyond the Statehouse.
On Monday, the West Lafayette City Council unanimously approved a statement condemning Beckwith’s remarks and expressing support for the city’s Muslim community.
“We raise our voices here to categorically condemn hateful, bigoted, inflammatory rhetoric that encourages violence, and elected officials who use their position to favor one religion while intimidating those who practice others,” council member Kathy Parker said while reading the statement.
The statement was signed by all nine city council members and Mayor Erin Easter, a Democrat.
According to reporting by Based in Lafayette, Parker said members of the Muslim community had asked city officials to publicly address Beckwith’s comments. State Sen. Spencer Deery, a West Lafayette Republican, also publicly criticized Beckwith, calling the lieutenant governor’s remarks “out of bounds for someone in his position.”
Marilyn Odendahl contributed to this report.
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
