Pete Hegseth has made the bizarre claim that he would not trust Stephen Miller or Marco Rubio to babysit his children, as questions around the controversial “double-tap” strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat continue to swirl.
Speaking to Katie Miller, the wife of the United States Homeland Security Advisor, Hegseth also revealed which cabinet member he would most likely call in an emergency. The comments were made during the recording for an episode of The Katie Miller Podcast.
The embattled secretary made the comments alongside his wife, Jennifer.
“Who would you trust to babysit your kids?” the host asked. “This can only be another member of the cabinet.”
“I mean, not your husband or Marco. I would trust the vice president. I mean, I’ve known Sean Duffy for years. I would trust him.”
“I would trust Brooke Rollins or Pam. Tulsi’s incredible,” he added, referring to the attorney general and the director of national intelligence.
Hegseth, who has been married three times, has seven biological and stepchildren. He shares one daughter with his current wife, Jennifer Rauchet, and is a stepfather to her three children.
He also shares three children with his ex-wife, Samantha Deering.
Despite his ribbing of Stephen Miller’s babysitting abilities, Hegseth said the Homeland Security Advisor is the cabinet member most likely to call him in an emergency.
Miller’s wife laughed and agreed, “One hundred percent.”
“Stephen, you know it’s true. You know it’s true,” jabbed Hegseth. “There’s others on the list, but he’s on top of the mountaintop.”
Criticism of Hegseth ramped up further this week after he invoked a beloved children’s character to justify his attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat.
The attack came after he reportedly told the U.S. military to “kill everybody” on the drug boat, leading the army to bomb the vessel. When it became clear that survivors were clinging to the wreckage, the military attacked the ship a second time.
Hegseth shared an AI-generated image of Franklin the Turtle to justify his actions, which was titled "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists."
The cover showed the eponymous turtle dressed in military fatigues, soaring above the ocean and brandishing a rocket launcher.
In the image, the AI-generated Franklin is seen launching a missile at a boat, which bursts into flames.
Hegseth captioned the post by writing, “For your Christmas wish list.”
Kids Can Press, which publishes the real Franklin books, described the cartoon character as a “beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” in a statement slamming Hegseth.
“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the publishing house wrote on X.
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