Carney calls post ‘beneath the office’ amid US-Canada trade spat
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drew bipartisan criticism this week after he posted a photograph on X on Monday night showing two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real.” The post remained online Wednesday despite condemnation from Canadian officials and across the U.S. political spectrum.
The image was originally published on Instagram by the Vernon Cadet Training Centre in British Columbia, which hosted a summer camp in July for teenagers learning adult skills at the military base. Critics noted that the subjects are not members of Canada’s front-line military; the medal recipient is a teenager no older than 18, and the person whose appearance Hegseth was attempting to ridicule is likely a volunteer instructor.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Tuesday that the post was “beneath the office” of the defense secretary. Responding to a broader pattern of attacks on his country by U.S. officials — including President Donald Trump’s attempt to rename Lake Ontario by executive order — Carney said it was time for Washington to “start being serious” about deescalating trade tensions.
“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said.
British Columbia Premier David Eby echoed the criticism. “It tells you everything you need to know about the amateur-hour, distracted, bizarre leadership that Americans are being subjected to,” he said.
The civilian Army Cadet League of Canada accused Hegseth of “online harassment” of youth. “Directing derogatory commentary toward youth who are actively working to better themselves and serve their communities is unacceptable,” the group said in a statement.
On the U.S. side, former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a military veteran, wrote on X: “Literally they’re kids. This is a cadet program and our ass hat of a Secdef is making fun of children.” He added: “MAGA [make America great again] males are betas who have to punch down to feel big.”
Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a former Marine, called the post “stupid” and “disrespectful.”
Canadian veteran Danny O’Regan, writing on X, said Hegseth was “body shaming cadet groups.” “This is not a military unit,” O’Regan wrote. “They are kids looking for adventure, test themselves and align themselves with the values of service. Don’t be a Pete.”
The Pentagon defended the post. On Tuesday, deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss told reporters: “The X post speaks for itself.” The post remained online as of Wednesday.
The incident comes as Hegseth faces mounting pressure on other fronts. U.S. Army chief Dan Driscoll resigned this week, reportedly after months of internal clashes with the defense secretary. Democrats have accused Hegseth of having “hollowed out” the military’s senior leadership ranks.
Separately, Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of a “war crime” after five people, including a four-year-old child, were killed and dozens injured in a reported missile strike on a wedding at a home in southern Iran. The ongoing Iran conflict has also left the U.S. with a “beyond critical” shortage of missile interceptors, the Associated Press reported, sparking fears among NATO allies of increasing vulnerability to a potential Russian military attack.
Hegseth has previously been critical of body shapes in the U.S. military. Addressing senior commanders in Virginia last year, he said that “fat troops are tiring to look at,” according to the same reporting. “It’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” he said.