Children's book publisher condemns Hegseth's 'violent' use of 'beloved' character

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives at the U.S. Capitol ahead of a briefing with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 5, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

A Canadian publisher of children's books is now issuing a statement denouncing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he posted an unauthorized AI-generated image of one of its most popular characters.

On Sunday night, Hegseth posted a mock book cover image of the character "Franklin the Turtle," which is owned by Kids Can Press, firing a rocket-propelled grenade at several boats from a helicopter. The text at the top of the image reads: "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists," with "A Classic Franklin Story" written above. Hegseth added the caption: "For your Christmas wish list..." to the post.

Kids Can Press responded to Hegseth's image with the statement: "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."

The statement caught the eye of several journalists and commentators. CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter observed that Kids Can Press was "not happy about @PeteHegseth's trolling." Concordia University of Montreal professor Shannon McSheffrey wrote on Bluesky: "Franklin fights back."

"Children's book publisher responds to Trump's defense/war secretary on doctored Franklin the Turtle RPG drug boat strike post ...is a real sentence I just wrote," tweeted Wall Street Journal national security reporter Robbie Gramer.

"It would be hilarious for this to go to copyright court and be the reason the regime falls," quipped search-and-rescue professional Michael Coyle.

"I hope they sue," wrote journalist Morgan Leigh Davies. "That image was grotesque."

"Take over threats. Tariffs. Now MAGA has woken Canada’s sleeping giant: Franklin," author Shawn Micallef wrote on Bluesky.

Hegseth has been subjected to widespread criticism in the wake of a Washington Post report claiming that the defense secretary authorized a secondary attack on survivors of a strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea. The White House has not denied that the secondary strike occurred, but has clarified that the strike was in fact ordered by Admiral Frank M. Bradley, who is the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

If the Post's report is true, the secondary strike on shipwrecked survivors would likely be considered a violation of Rules 46 and 47 of International Humanitarian Law, which pertain to "no-quarter" orders and orders to attack people considered hors de combat, ("out of the fight") respectively. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees — which are both controlled by Republicans – have launched official inquiries into the attack with the Department of Defense.

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