Pete Hegseth’s AI-generated Franklin the Turtle meme sparks military backlash and mockery
A controversial social media post by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has drawn sharp criticism. On Sunday evening, he shared an AI-generated image of Franklin the Turtle firing a rocket-propelled grenade from a helicopter. The caption read Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists, sparking immediate backlash from lawmakers and the book’s publisher.
The tweet comes as questions persist about a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean last September, as reported by the NY Post.
Hegseth posted the meme on X (formerly Twitter), tagging the U.S. Southern Command—the military branch overseeing operations in the Caribbean, Central, and South America. The image, styled as a children’s book cover, quickly went viral. Military veterans were among the first to criticise the unsafe way Franklin was depicted handling the weapon.
The post fuelled the so-called everyone is 12 now theory in American politics, with users mocking its tone. Suggestions for follow-up titles flooded in, including Franklin Goes to the Hague and Franklin Goes to Jail. Democratic lawmakers joined the criticism, questioning the appropriateness of the imagery amid ongoing scrutiny of military strikes on suspected drug vessels, as reported by Royal Caribbean's news outlet.
Hegseth has repeatedly denied reports that he ordered forces to kill everybody after survivors were spotted following an earlier strike. He dismissed the claims as fake news, but the controversy has only intensified with this latest post.
The tweet has added to the debate over military operations targeting drug trafficking in the region. Critics argue the post trivialises serious issues, while supporters see it as a bold statement. The U.S. Southern Command has yet to comment on the matter directly.
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