U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sparked a diplomatic flare‑up when he posted a photo of two Canadian youth program participants in uniform, captioning it “this is real” on X. The image, which many saw as a mockery of Canada’s armed forces, was released amid an ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa. Canadian officials and the public condemned the post, while the U.S. government faced calls for an apology. The controversy highlights how social‑media gaffes can quickly inflame international relations.
US defense secretary faced backlash for attempting to mock Canada’s armed forces amid trade warA social media post by Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, body-shaming female members of a Canadian youth development program remained online on Wednesday despite a furious backlash on both sides of the border.On Monday night Hegseth posted on X a photograph of two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real”, an apparent attempt at mocking the country’s armed forces amid the Trump administration’s trade spat with its northern neighbor. Continue reading...
