The media circus went into full swarm-mode this week after The Washington Post dropped a sensational story accusing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of ordering SEAL Team 6 to “kill everybody” aboard a suspected Venezuelan drug-running vessel—then greenlighting a second strike to wipe out two survivors in the water. Anonymous sources, vague allegations, and a conveniently dramatic narrative? Classic.
But President Donald J. Trump isn’t buying a word of it.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump flatly dismissed the report, saying Hegseth “did not say that, and I believe him 100%.” When pressed about whether a second strike actually happened, Trump stayed on message: “He said he didn’t do it.” And when a reporter tried the classic “Would you be okay with it if he did?” trap, Trump shrugged it off: “He said he didn’t do it, so I don’t have to make that decision.”
Reporter: If there were a second strike that killed wounded people, would that be legal?
Trump: I don’t know that happened and Pete said he did not even know what people were talking about. I wouldn’t have wanted a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine. pic.twitter.com/BqOAG9J1HX
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 30, 2025
In other words: No drama. No scandal. No panic. Just confidence in his Defense Secretary.
The supposed incident dates back to September, when the administration reported a successful operation targeting a drug-trafficking boat linked to Venezuela. Nearly 20 similar interdictions have followed—confirming Trump’s aggressive stance on crushing narco-terror networks in the Caribbean.
Yet now, months later, unnamed officials are breathlessly whispering to the Post about hypothetical “war crimes.” You’d think after the Russia hoax, the fine people hoax, the bleach hoax, the nuking hurricanes hoax—and all the others—they’d try a different playbook.
Even “conservative” legal analyst Andy McCarthy, writing in National Review, noted that “If this happened as described… it was, at best, a war crime,” while adding that these maritime actions may themselves be legally murky without Congress. Fair point—but that’s a debate for lawmakers, not political hit-squads masquerading as journalism.
A Democratic senator quickly jumped on the pile, warning, “Going after survivors in the water… is clearly not lawful.” Of course, that quote hit the front pages instantly.
While the Beltway press hyperventilated, Hegseth took the entire controversy and lit it up like a Christmas tree. On X, he posted a mock children’s book cover: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists, showing the beloved cartoon turtle gleefully blowing up drug boats from an Army helicopter. His caption?
“For your Christmas wish list…”
Instant classic, spawning a wave of Franklin-the-Turtle-Warrior memes—some complete with sound effects.
If WaPo thought this story was going to sink Hegseth, they might want to check the wreckage. Franklin already blew it up.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) December 1, 2025
I’m still on this one pic.twitter.com/NQQ8yLoFz6
— Beam Worthy (@Ben_Montaigne) December 1, 2025
Not everyone was a fan:
