Overview

Pete Hegseth's "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists" Post, also known as Pete Hegseth's "Franklin The Turtle" Meme, is an controversial X / Twitter post made by Pete Hegseth, the United States Secretary of War (Defense), sharing an AI-generated parody of a Franklin The Turtle book titled, "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists," depicting Franklin aiming a bazooka down at boats full of narco terrorists from a military helicopter (meant to reference strikes against alleged drug traffickers in Venezuela). The post was made on November 30th, 2025, and inspired significant discourse online, including further Franklin parodies and backlash. In response, the publisher behind Franklin, Kids Can Press, released a statement condemning the use of the character in this way.

Background

On November 30th, 2025, the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, posted an AI-generated parody meme of a Franklin The Turtle book cover to X,^[1] writing, "For your Christmas wish list…" The book, which shows Franklin aiming a bazooka from a military helicopter at boats full of people with weapons in a jungle setting, is titled "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists." The post gained over 166,000 likes and 24,000 reposts in two days.

Developments

Statement From Kids Can Press

On December 1st, 2025, the @KidsCanPress X^[2] account posted a statement regarding Hegseth's Franklin post, garnering over 60,000 likes and 8,400 reposts in a day. The post condemns the use of Franklin in this way, reading:

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

Online Reactions

Pete Hegseth's post inspired backlash from some, as well as further memes and parodies of Franklin books in late November and early December 2025.

For example, on November 30th, 2025, prior to Kids Can Press statement, X^[3] user @oelayat quoted Hegseth's post with a parody titled "Franklin Goes To The Hague," garnering over 35,000 likes in two days.

That same day, X^[4] user @RadioFreeTom responded to the post, "There is something very wrong with the secretary of defense," gaining over 61,000 likes in two days.

On December 1st, 2025, X^[5] user @whstancil posted a parody following the format showing a Franklin book titled, "Franklin is Prosecuted for War Crimes and Murder on the High Seas," garnering over 9,500 likes in a day.

Search Interest

External References