New reports have alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth committed war crimes while carrying out Caribbean boat strikes. His response? Turn it into a meme.
On Nov. 28, the Washington Post alleged that Hegseth gave a “Kill Everybody” order after the first missile attack left two survivors. The initial strike was carried out on September 2 to neutralize boats trying to smuggle drugs into the United States. Though it successfully disabled the vessel, Hegseth allegedly ordered another strike to make sure all 11 people on board died.
Because the second strike targeted people who no longer posed a threat, it is believed to be an extrajudicial killing. Under the laws of armed conflict, individuals who are “hors de combat” should not be targeted. This means that people who are wounded, shipwrecked, surrendering, or unarmed must not be deliberately killed. Yet, Hegseth passed the second strike off as a lawful military action.
Hegseth fueled the controversy by making a meme of it
Disturbingly, when Hegseth was dragged for his actions, he responded with an outrageous meme. On his X account, he posted a parody book cover depicting the children’s cartoon “Franklin” attacking boats. The cover reads “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists” and shows the turtle firing a missile from a helicopter. Below him, three loaded boats are pictured trying to escape as one of them is blasted.
Hegseth captioned the post “For your Christmas wish list…” and probably thought he did something genius. But his meme appears more tone-deaf and painfully unfunny than he realizes. It seems to celebrate the military operation, which is currently under investigation for being a war crime. For someone trying to prove their innocence and escape scrutiny, his move seems counterintuitive and stupid.
And even if insensitivity is not his concern, his post is also being viewed as a mockery of the situation. If dragged into a court, he would probably be unable to justify it. The meme also shows the boatmen to be armed, but no evidence proves that the people he killed were armed. The Senate and House Armed Services Committees have already launched inquiries into the incident. And if the second strike is proven to be unlawful, the post would horribly backfire.
People are disgusted by Hegseth
On X, nobody but Hegseth thought his meme was funny. People quickly pointed out how disturbing his move was, writing “Pete Hegseth is one sick, degenerate, adulterous, criminal ba**ard.” One expressed their concern about his audacity and questioned,
Are we going to be a country that lets a person meme and shitpost his way out of accountability for alleged war crimes, or do some things still matter?
Another gave him a much-needed reality check, to destroy his bloated self-image:
Turning real people being blown apart into a children’s cartoon isn’t “tough.” It’s literal propaganda to get people to cheer on extrajudicial killing: no due process, no accountability, just summary execution dressed up as entertainment. This is sickness.
Hegseth’s post proves that he doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation or is simply not taking it seriously. Perhaps because he believes Trump will save him. But Trump’s response to the controversy suggests that Hegseth might find himself under the bus soon. While Trump can evade legal prosecution even if he ordered the strike, Hegseth can’t. Adam Kinzinger joked on this, saying, “His trial is gonna be lit.”
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