'Sick man': Hegseth faces furious blowback as he posts war crime-mocking meme

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s glib attempt to dismiss growing accusations from both Republicans and Democrats that he is engaging in prosecutable war crimes set off a new firestorm after he made a Sunday post on X.

At about the same time that Trump distanced himself from Hegseth after his “kill them all” order that led to survivors of a reported drug boat attack by the U.S. military being blown out of the water as they clung to their damaged boat, the Pentagon chief reposted a meme of popular children’s book character Franklin, a turtle, firing on boats from a helicopter.

Hegseth added, “For your Christmas wish list…”

That brought on a wave of criticism, with one X user replying, “On the bright side, once Trump dumps you, you’ll be able to return to drunkenness again. If you’re not there already.”

Former Rep. Adam Kinszinger (R-IL) told Hegseth, “You’re a sick man,” and later reposted the Hegseth tweet and added, “His trial is gonna be lit.”

Military veteran and Democratic congressional candidate Fred Wellman contributed, “You are so pathetic. The troops think you’re a clown try-hard loser. You’re a joke to everyone.”

“Shouldn’t they be hanging off the boat asking to be saved and then you killing them anyways?” liberal activist and YouTuber Keith Edwards asked.

Conservative columnist AD Tippet argued, “Seriously SICK TO DEATH of the WWE izing of our politics. When I first saw the perversion of gentle Franklin into that grotesque immediately figured another podcaster trolling for attention. But no, the guy in charge of the 4 million personal [sic], $800 Billion Pentagon. STUPID.”

NY Times columnist David French went biblical on Hegseth by writing, “’Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.’ Isaiah 5:20”

“I’m hoping they show this Hegseth post at his sentencing hearing,” actor Jon Cryer suggested on BlueSky.

Carleton University Journalism professor Christopher Dornan added, “The creator of the Franklin the Turtle children's books is Canadian author (and Carleton University Journalism graduate) Paulette Bourgeois. She may wish to rev up her copyright infringement lawyers just for starters.”

Popular BlueSky influencer Andrea Junker pointed out, “A prime example of why mediocre white men should not be elevated to positions of power.”