The US secretary of war shared an image of Franklin the Turtle firing a bazooka at supposed drug traffickers<\/p>\n
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has sparked a backlash after posting an image showing a popular children\u2019s cartoon character attacking what appear to be drug traffickers. This comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump faces renewed scrutiny over lethal strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
\nThe meme posted by Hegseth on X is designed as a book cover featuring Franklin the Turtle standing in a helicopter clad in military gear, holding a bazooka and firing rockets at boats with armed gunmen transporting cargo. The caption in the image reads \u201cFranklin targets narco terrorists.\u201d Hegseth suggested that people should add the mock book to their Christmas wish list.
\nWhile some commenters expressed support for the crackdown on drug cartels, others expressed outrage over Hegseth\u2019s meme.\u00a0
\nThe publisher of the Canadian book series Kids Can Press insisted that the character Franklin stands for \u201ckindness, empathy, and inclusivity,\u201d saying it \u201cstrongly condemn[s] any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin\u2019s name or image.\u201d<\/p>\n
For your Christmas wish list\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/pLXzg20SaL\u2014 Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025 <\/p>\n
Responding to the criticism, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, \u201cwe doubt Franklin the turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels\u2026 or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Pentagon chief slams media over report of deadly Caribbean strike<\/p>\n
Several lawmakers have also criticized Hegseth\u2019s post. House Democrat Adam Smith suggested that the secretary \u201cdoesn\u2019t understand the seriousness and the importance of the job that he has.\u201d
\nThe scandal comes as Hegseth faces accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post claimed last week that he verbally ordered US forces to \u201ckill everybody\u201d on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean in early September.
\nHegseth has denied the allegations and called the Washington Post\u2019s reporting \u201cfabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory.\u201d He stressed that all traffickers targeted by the US were affiliated with a designated terrorist organization.
\nThe Trump administration has justified its strikes on suspected drug boats as self-defense, claiming that illicit substances carried aboard the vessels are intended for delivery to the US.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US secretary of war shared an image of Franklin the Turtle firing a bazooka at supposed drug traffickers US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has sparked a backlash after…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t