USA02 September, 20262 min read
Pete Hegseth Faces Backlash Over “This Is Real” Post Targeting Canadian Cadets
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hegseth posted Vernon Cadet Training Centre photo with 'That’s real' caption. George Clooney condemned the post; Canadian leaders also criticized it.
5 outlets told this the same way.
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Hegseth’s “this is real”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared a photo from the Vernon Cadet Training Centre in British Columbia on X with a Canadian flag and the words “(this is real),” drawing accusations that he mocked the appearance of a uniformed woman in a Canadian youth cadet programme.
George Clooney, speaking to reporters at the Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, 2 September, said he was 'ashamed' by the post and asked, 'What's wrong with you? Where's the sense of decency in all of this?'
The Pentagon defended the post, with deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss telling reporters that 'the X post speaks for itself'.
WION described the post as a weight-related jibe interpreted from Hegseth’s repeated use of the phrase “fit not fat,” and it cited Hegseth telling military leaders at the US Army War College in April 2025 that they needed to be “fit not fat, sharp not shabby.”
Canadian leaders react
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the message as unworthy of their office, while British Columbia Premier David Eby called it 'an embarrassment' and said it involved young cadets in the dispute.
Radio-Canada reported that General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada, said, “They are capable teams, professional soldiers who safeguard security around the world. I could not be prouder,” after the post sparked comments denigrating the physical appearance of people in the photo.
In Ottawa, Carney told reporters, “When Americans stop sharing memes, stop baiting, stop trying to posture, and begin to engage in serious discussions, then we can talk about it [...] It isn’t constructive, but it is their democracy.”
The Pentagon deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh reiterated the defense, saying, “The post on X speaks for itself,” as the Canadian Cadet League condemned subjecting cadets and their achievements to online mockery.
Wider political fallout
The controversy unfolded amid strained Canada–United States relations, with WION linking it to a trade fight and noting that Canada and the U.S. had disagreements over trade and criticism of Canada’s military capabilities from members of the Trump administration.
Le Granby Express said the post came after last month’s failed trade negotiations and that in August the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of goods from Canada, with Canada set to implement retaliatory duties next week.
CNN framed Hegseth’s broader political problems as mounting, pointing to GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell voting against Hegseth for defense secretary last year and focusing on Hegseth’s lack of experience as “a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests.”
CNN also reported that polls from Quinnipiac University and Marquette Law School showed Hegseth about 20 points underwater, with registered voters disapproving of him 56%-34% in the former and Americans viewing him unfavorably 46%-27% in the latter.