'Franklin The Turtle' Publisher Condemns Pete Hegseth For Turning Beloved Character Into Violent Meme

Kids Can Press, the Canadian publisher behind the beloved Franklin children's books, condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement after he shared an AI-generated image of Franklin the Turtle to justify his attacks on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.

Hegseth's original meme, which he inexplicably captioned "for your Christmas wish list," features a doctored book cover titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists and shows Franklin, the protagonist of the popular Canadian children's book series authored by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, firing a bazooka from a helicopter at boats in the water below.

You can see it below.

@PeteHegseth/X

Hegseth's post followed a Washington Post investigation published last week alleging that in September he directed a U.S. strike unit to eliminate everyone aboard a single vessel. According to the report, after two people were later spotted alive in the wreckage, commanders authorized a follow-up “double tap” strike to ensure their deaths.

In the aftermath of that initial strike, the Trump administration formally informed Congress that the United States was engaged in what it called a “non-international armed conflict” with unnamed “designated terrorist organizations.” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have accused Hegseth of committing war crimes.

Kids Can Press, once alerted about the meme, denounced Hegseth's appropriation of the beloved children's book character:

“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”

You can see the statement below.

Many have praised the publisher for speaking out and have condemned Hegseth's action.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Hegseth had personally approved the operation by empowering the Special Operations commander in charge, Admiral Frank Bradley, to carry out what she described as “kinetic strikes.”

Leavitt added that Bradley acted within his legal authorities, insisting that the engagement complied with the rules governing such actions and successfully destroyed the vessel while neutralizing what the administration characterized as a threat to the United States.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said that Hegseth had rejected claims that he authorized a follow-up attack on two men who survived the initial strike, quoting him as saying he “did not order the death of those two men.” Trump also attempted to separate himself from the second strike, stating that he would not have supported another attack, even as he described the first as “fine.”