A beloved Canadian children's character firing machine guns at drug traffickers. A pop star's love song soundtracking deportation raids. Welcome to the bizarre cultural battlefield where Trump's administration just made some very powerful enemies.
In perhaps the weirdest international incident of 2024, a children's book turtle from Canada has become an unlikely rallying symbol against the messaging machinations of the Trump administration-and he's not flying solo.
Franklin the Turtle, the gentle protagonist who taught generations of kids about sharing, honesty, and friendship, is now at the center of a diplomatic flap after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth depicted the character as a gun-wielding military operative hunting alleged drug traffickers. Meanwhile, pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter is calling the White House "evil and disgusting" for weaponizing her music in immigration enforcement videos.
What these improbable controversies do reveal is a Trump administration so pugnacious in its communications that it has no problem co-opting—without asking permission—beloved cultural icons hailing from children's entertainment, backlash and legal repercussions be damned.
The backlash is as quick as lightning, furious, and from unexpected quarters.
Franklin Goes to War (Without Permission)
In the image that sparked outrage from across the world, Franklin-the sweet, anxious turtle who worries about making friends and trying new foods in his wholesome book series-is dressed in military gear aboard a helicopter firing a large weapon at boats allegedly carrying drug traffickers.
The mock book cover, titled "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists," was posted to social media by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, apparently as commentary on recent controversial U.S. military operations in the Caribbean that have drawn bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
Kids Can Press, the Canadian publisher of the Franklin books, issued a statement without beating about the bush: "We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image."
There's a lot loaded into that word "unauthorized". This wasn't a parody created by random internet trolls—this was the United States Secretary of Defense appropriating intellectual property belonging to a Canadian publisher and transforming a character designed to teach empathy and emotional intelligence to preschoolers into a symbol of lethal military force.
The Franklin series, created by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark in 1986, has sold millions of copies worldwide and spawned television shows, movies, and educational programs. Franklin teaches children how to navigate social challenges, overcome fears, and treat others with kindness. The character is beloved by parents precisely because he represents gentleness and thoughtfulness.
Now, thanks to Hegseth, Franklin was a meme warrior in the Trump administration's aggressive military messaging campaign.
Sabrina Carpenter: "Evil and Disgusting"
The 25-year-old pop star took to social media on Tuesday, fuming after the White House used her song "Juno" in a December 1 post showcasing a compilation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations deporting migrants.
The White House post captioned the video with a lyric from her chart-topping hit, trying to co-opt the upbeat love song in service of their immigration enforcement messaging.
The response by Carpenter was unequivocal: "Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda," she posted, continuing that the unauthorized use was "evil and disgusting."
Her statement represents a significant escalation from the usual celebrity disapproval of political appropriation. She didn't just ask them to stop-she called their immigration policies inhumane, and their tactics evil. For a mainstream pop star whose brand is built on feel-good anthems and broad appeal, these are fighting words.
The irony is especially stark: "Juno" is a playful, flirtatious song of romance and lust. The White House tried to commandeer its catchy energy for the celebrations of deportations, fundamentally distorting the song's meaning and emotional intent.
Why This Matters Beyond Pop Culture
These might seem like minor controversies—a cartoon and a song—but they reveal something big about how the Trump administration approaches cultural property and creative work.
First, there's the legal dimension: both Franklin and "Juno" are protected intellectual property. Using them without permission for political messaging likely violates copyright law and trademark protections. Kids Can Press and representatives for Carpenter could pursue legal action, and the fact that these violations come from government officials makes the situation even more problematic.
There's also the strategic recklessness. The Trump administration is picking fights with children's book publishers and beloved pop stars—entities with devoted fanbases and significant cultural capital. These are unforced errors that generate negative headlines and unite unlikely coalitions of critics.
Third, there's a message it sends to creators: your work can and will be appropriated for purposes you oppose, and the government doesn't particularly care about your consent or creative intent. That's a chilling precedent for artistic freedom and intellectual property rights.
The Pattern of Appropriation
This is not the first time that the Trump administration has been called out for unauthorized use of music and imagery. Many artists have asked Trump to cease using their songs at his rallies and in other events, including The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Adele, and Bruce Springsteen.
But what's increasing is the audacity. Employing a children's character in violent military propaganda has reached a new low-a line from just being irritating to artists to a basic distortion of intellectual property for the education of early childhood.
The Hegseth cartoon is jarring particularly because it takes a character specifically crafted to model non-violent conflict resolution and emotional intelligence, and makes him a weapon of war. It is also not merely copyright infringement but ideological vandalism.
Canada Raises an Eyebrow
While there's been no official diplomatic response from Canada yet, the Franklin controversy adds another wrinkle to U.S.-Canada relations under Trump. Franklin is a distinctly Canadian cultural export—a children's character beloved in Canada and recognized internationally as Canadian intellectual property.
Having the U.S. Defense Secretary appropriate a Canadian children's icon for military propaganda-without permission-to laud controversial operations that have elicited international criticism is the kind of minor diplomatic irritant that can balloon into larger tensions.
Kids Can Press is a Toronto-based publisher, and Franklin reflects a whole suite of values particular to Canadian ethos on community, empathy, and education. Witnessing Franklin get militarized by the Pentagon without their consent sits poorly north of the border.
The Larger Culture War
These fit into a broader strategy of the Trump administration to dominate the cultural conversation through provocative messaging, memes, and social media warfare. It's purposeful: make news, inflame outrage, and keep adversaries in a perpetual state of response rather than having their own agenda.
But there's a cost to constantly picking cultural fights. Alienating artists, publishers, and creators means losing access to the cultural tools that help political movements connect emotionally with audiences. When every musician, author, and creative professional sees your administration as hostile to artistic integrity, you limit your own ability to craft compelling narratives.
And in this case, you end up with a Canadian turtle and a pop star united in telling you to back off-which is a sentence nobody expected to write in 2024.
What Happens Next
Kids Can Press has denounced the unauthorized use, but hasn't yet indicated whether they'll pursue legal action. Carpenter's statement suggests she and her team are considering their options. Both have grounds for copyright claims, though suing the Department of Defense or the White House is complicated by sovereign immunity doctrines and the political optics of such actions.
More likely, both will keep up the public pressure, counting on reputational damage and negative headlines deterring future violations. The question is whether the Trump administration cares enough about backlash from children's publishers and pop stars to change its tactics.
Probably not, based on past behavior. The administration really seems to view cultural appropriation controversies as wins, rather than headaches—evidence that they're shaking things up and pissing off the right people.
But there's something uniquely absurd about Franklin the Turtle becoming a symbol of resistance against government overreach. The character was made to teach toddlers about anxiety and friendship. Now, he's inadvertently teaching adults about intellectual property rights and the importance of consent.
It is not the lesson his creators intended, but perhaps it is the one we need right now.
As for Sabrina Carpenter, she's made her position crystal clear: her music isn't for sale, especially not to promote policies she finds morally repugnant. In an age where everything can be commodified and repurposed without permission, that's a stand worth celebrating.
Even if Franklin, gentle and anxious as ever, is probably now simply wishing he could go back to fretting about mastering that bike ride.
Follow ZOSIO for more on the Franklin controversy and other culture war battles you never saw coming.
