BURSTThe controversy over a picture of two Canadian women in army fatigues at an award ceremony at the Vernon Cadet Camp – shared by one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s top administrators mocking Canada – appears to have originally been posted by a Canadian.
Black Press columnist Wilbur Turner (The Turner Files), in an online post, pointed to a content creator called The Pleb for igniting the controversy started when U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared an online post of two Canadian military women at an awards ceremony at the Vernon Army Cadet Camp with the line, “This is real,” which appeared to body shame the women in the photo.
“He (The Pleb) posted a screenshot of Hegseth’s tweet with the caption, ‘OMG, he saw my post,’ laughing about it,” explains Turner.
“So this wasn’t Hegseth stumbling onto a cadet program’s Instagram on his own. A Canadian influencer flagged the photo and the U.S. Secretary of Defence picked it up and used it to mock a volunteer’s body to millions of people.”
Turner describes The Pleb as a, “Canadian ‘influencer’ who’s had access to Conservative Party of Canada events since the 2022 leadership race, and reportedly picked up an influencer pass at the party’s Calgary convention.’”
Turner said The Pleb “took credit for the whole (army cadet camp post) thing.”
“The pipeline between a homegrown online conservative ecosystem and a cabinet-level pile-on says as much about that ecosystem as it does about Hegseth,” said Turner. “It also says a lot about the type of Canadians who take glee in the US administration’s attacks on Canada.”
The Pleb, however, in a tweet on the social media platform X, said it was the veterans group @Vets4FreeCanada that broke the Hegseth story.
“Pete Hegseth retweeted their account but somehow everyone is blaming me for creating another international incident,” wrote The Pleb, who did, however, describe his post on the picture with the lines, “Canada’s DEI (Diverse, Equity, Inclusion) military allows morbidly obese women to be cadet instructors. The Liberal government is such a joke.”
Canada’s DEI military allows morbidly obese women to be Cadet instructors
This Liberal Government is such a joke pic.twitter.com/CcKpzEZ7Se
— The Pleb
(@truckdriverpleb) August 31, 2026
The Hegseth tweet has been condemned worldwide, from the likes of Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee MP Scott Anderson – a former military man; Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty; B.C. Premier David Eby; Prime Minister Mark Carney (called it, “beneath our office”); and Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu.
“The Vernon Cadets are a valued part of our community,” wrote Sandhu on her social media forums. “They give young people an inclusive, structured and safe place to build leadership skills, confidence and a brighter future.
“Harassing and bullying youth who are trying to better their lives, some of whom will go on to serve their country, is deplorable. Pete Hegseth should be absolutely ashamed of himself. He could certainly learn a lesson or two about leadership from our cadets.”
Also weighing in on the controversy, from Europe, was veteran Hollywood actor George Clooney, who addressed the Hegseth post while attending the Venice Film Festival.
George Clooney just absolutely demolished Pete Hegseth for his ridiculous post making Canadians in the military. pic.twitter.com/lettTI6ZHf
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) September 2, 2026
Clooney told reporters he’s ashamed the Trump administration has normalized cruelty from government officials, and called his country a “kakistocracy,” a country run by the “least qualified” people.
The actor referenced the Hegseth post, mocking two women in the Canadian military with the caption ‘this is real.’
Clooney said he “has hope for the upcoming midterm elections and the 2028 presidential elections,” and reminded Americans that the country will “come out better on the other side.”