What to Know
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under fire for using a beloved children’s book series to seemingly poke fun at what might’ve been a war crime. The Washington Post recently reported that Hegseth allegedly authorized a boat strike to “kill everybody.” The White House has confirmed that Hegseth authorized the strikes on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel, but denied the allegation that Hegseth said to “kill everybody.” And while the allegations are clearly serious, his recent social media post suggests he’s not taking them all that seriously.
On November 30, Hegseth shared the cover of a non-existent children’s book. Though the specific book he shared does not exist and appeared to be AI-generated, it was clearly meant to look exactly like a book from the “Franklin the Turtle” children’s book series.
Hegseth urged people to add the controversial book to their Christmas lists.
For your Christmas wish list… pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025
The cover of the book, which is titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,” shows Franklin firing missiles at boats. Hegseth captioned the post with, “For your Christmas wish list…” Many people were horrified that he would use a popular children’s book character to make light of his alleged war crimes.
In response, people shared their own AI-generated Franklin covers as a way of calling Hegseth out. One of them was titled, “Franklin on Trial at the ICC (International Criminal Court).” Another cover, which the X user described as “more accurate,” read, “Franklin Goes to Alcoholics [Anonymous].”
Fixed it. pic.twitter.com/0jhMKtOkKD
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) December 1, 2025
People didn’t stop there. Other versions include “Franklin Making Decisions While Being Drunk” and “Franklin Realizes He’s the Terrorist.” Some people who shared their own versions of the cover clearly didn’t want to tarnish Franklin’s name like that, so they used titles like, “Pete Is a Childish D—wad” and “Hegseth Is a War Criminal” instead.
People argued that Hegseth is clearly a ‘villain.’
To many fans of the “Franklin the Turtle” series, Hegseth’s use of the cover made no sense. “Franklin is one of the gentlest, sunniest characters in young children’s literature,” one person argued on Reddit. Others agreed that Hegseth is nothing like the kind, lovable turtle. “You know who kills people and laughs about it? Villains,” someone else said of Hegseth.
— Kids Can Press (@kidscanpress.bsky.social) December 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
People were offended on Franklin’s behalf and accused Hegseth of ruining something “innocent” with his “shameful” and “disgusting” post. “Get my boy Franklin’s name out of yo MOUTH!” someone wrote. Another person added, “Nooo why the f— do they have to ruin even the purest stuff?” It’s not the first time the Trump administration has taken an innocent children’s book and used it to promote its agenda and make light of violence. In November, E.B. White’s granddaughter Martha White spoke out against the Trump administration naming an immigration crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina after her grandfather’s book, “Charlotte’s Web.”
The publisher of the “Franklin the Turtle” books, Kids Can Press also released a statement in response to Hegseth’s use of Franklin’s name and image. The statement reads, “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.”
