Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a vile social media attack mocking a Canadian youth cadet instructor for being overweight. That is the fact. It sits there, ugly and plain.
The photo came from the Vernon Cadet Training Center in British Columbia. A happy shot from a summer camp awards ceremony. A cadet receiving a medal. An instructor standing beside them, beaming. Hegseth screenshotted it. He added a Canadian flag emoji. He wrote, in parentheses, "(this is real)." He posted it to his two million followers on X.
The meaning was not subtle. Hegseth has spent months railing against "fat generals and admirals." He declared last September that he no longer wants to see overweight troops. He has fixated on the physical appearance of officers under his command. Everyone understood what he was doing. He was body-shaming a volunteer instructor at a youth program. A program for kids aged 12 to 18.
The backlash was immediate. A Canadian veteran wrote, "Wow. The Secretary of Defence is body shaming cadet groups. A youth group. This is not a military unit." Others responded with their own photos of a sweaty Hegseth clutching champagne or running in an exercise drill, captioned with the same "(this is real)" taunt. The Daily Beast called it a "vile social media post." The Globe and Mail said it was "gross behaviour."
And here is the catch. While Hegseth found time to mock a Canadian youth instructor, the Pentagon is experiencing a loss of top brass under his command. The leadership exodus is real. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned early last week. He clashed repeatedly with Hegseth over the ouster of key combat-tested Army leaders. Driscoll had warned the White House about Hegseth's widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers.
The numbers are stark. Hegseth has fired or forced the retirement of 24 generals and senior commanders since Trump returned to office in January 2025. About 60 percent of those dismissed were Black or female officers. No performance-related justification was cited for any removal. The Army has not had a chief of staff since Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George without explanation in April. There are no signs he is close to filling the position.
When Hegseth took office, there were 10 four-star generals on active duty. The service is now down to five. The lowest number in decades. The Atlantic summarized it plainly: the Army, with more than 450,000 active-duty soldiers positioned across the globe, has fewer generals than at any point in recent history. One senator said, "It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense."
The 2028 Question
Hegseth is promoting his Christian credentials for a potential 2028 presidential run. That is the other fact sitting beside the first one. He is positioning himself. Building a brand. The social media post fits a pattern. Tough on fitness. Tough on appearance. Tough on anyone who does not match his vision of what a soldier should look like.
But the vision does not match the reality inside the Pentagon. The Army is trying to adapt to a new kind of war dominated by deadly drones. It faces its busiest period since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. U.S. bases in the Middle East have been pounded by cheap, deadly drones and missiles. The Iran quagmire would not have happened under Trump's first-term military leaders, according to the Washington Post.
Hegseth supports Donald Trump's costly war on Iran. He chose loyalty over leadership. He has crippled the military, in the view of many observers. More than two dozen senior U.S. military officers have been fired or sidelined by Hegseth without any public explanation. He has also intervened to block or delay promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers.
The Pentagon stands by him. A spokesperson told HuffPost, "The X post speaks for itself." Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss said the same to the New Republic. No apology. No explanation. Just the post, left to speak for itself.
Canada's Department of National Defence responded with a statement about the Cadet Program offering youth opportunities to cultivate leadership skills in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere. They honored the accomplishments of cadets throughout Canada, as well as the devoted instructors and volunteers. General Jennie Carignan, Canada's top soldier, expressed solidarity with the two service members singled out and attacked by Hegseth.
The contrast is hard to miss. On one side, a youth program celebrating kids who put in amazing effort over a summer camp. On the other, a defense secretary mocking their instructor while his own department reels from resignations and firings. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is just the latest in a line of high profile exoduses at the Pentagon under Hegseth. One Hill staffer said there appears to be an exodus or a possible exodus of mid-level officers who are troubled by the firings and wondering if they should just go now.
Hegseth found time to be incredibly mean to someone far removed from the U.S. military. He found time to post a body-shaming jab at a Canadian youth program volunteer. He did not find time to fill the Army chief of staff position. He did not find time to explain why he fired 24 generals. He did not find time to address the leadership vacuum as the Army struggles with drone threats in the Middle East.
The 2028 presidential run is the frame. The Christian credentials are the pitch. The vile post and the collapsing Pentagon are the record. Wonder at the ambition. Then name the catch. The catch is that the ambition is eating the institution it claims to serve.
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