‘He’s not a serious person’ Mark Kelly slams Hegseth over Franklin AI drug boat memes

Politics
3 Dec 2025 • 1:10 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Mark Kelly slammed Pete Hegseth for not being a “serious person” after the defense secretary appeared to make light of deadly boat strikes via memes.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday (1 December), the Arizona senator said: “He runs around on a stage like he’s a 12 year old playing army. It’s embarrassing.”

“I can’t imagine what our allies think of looking at that guy in this job, one of the most important jobs in our country.”

On Sunday (30 November), the defense secretary shared doctored images that showed children’s character Franklin the Turtle attacking the crew of a suspected narcotics vessel.