Jamelle Bouie says Hegseth mocked children for wanting to serve, and doubts the press will ask him why
Jamelle BouieNew York Times opinion columnist, posting on his own Bluesky account
Posting on Bluesky the night of Hegseth's post, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie described it as mocking children who wanted to learn, grow and serve their country, and predicted the press would not ask Hegseth to account for it because it had become habituated to the behaviour of people in the administration.
“the press has gotten completely habituated to the ugly and hateful behavior of the people in this government so i will be surprised if anyone ever asks hegseth why he thinks it is appropriate to mock children for wanting to learn, grow and maybe serve their country”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Did Pete Hegseth’s “this is real” post mock Canadian cadets?
On September 1, 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted an image from the Vernon Cadet Training Centre showing a cadet receiving an award from an instructor, adding a Canadian flag and the words “this is real.” Canadian officials, a cadet organization, a Republican member of Congress, and George Clooney characterized the post as mocking, demeaning, or beneath the dignity of Hegseth’s office. The Pentagon stood by the post but did not specify what the caption meant.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
The speaker's own post. Bouie posted on the night of the original post, before most of the Canadian official reaction. He is separately recorded in the case concerning the Pentagon's fitness and grooming criteria for Hegseth's September 30 address.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Hegseth reposted an image from the Vernon Cadet Training Centre showing a cadet receiving an award from an instructor, adding a Canadian flag and the words "this is real," on September 1.
After the quotation
Canadian officials including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Defence Minister David McGuinty, the Army Cadet League of Canada, Republican Representative Don Bacon and George Clooney criticised the post over the following days. The Pentagon stood by it without explaining the caption.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Bouie characterises it as mocking children and calls the conduct ugly and hateful, which rejects it. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, because a large part of the post is about press behaviour rather than Hegseth's. That loses because the criticism of the press is framed around an assumption he states as settled, that the post mocked children, which is a direct evaluation of the conduct under scrutiny.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Pete Hegseth
More from this case
Read the full caseMichael Gendron says Hegseth's post invited mockery of women cadets
“an obvious invitation to mock the women’s appearance.”Read statement
Jonathan V. Last calls Hegseth "a cretin" over the Canadian cadets post
“The super butch secretary of WAR is making fun of an American ally... These are not Canadian soldiers. The Canadian Army is not a woke, Marxist polycule... So Pete Hegseth is a cretin.”Read statement
Former Canadian MP Charlie Angus says the Pentagon is "trolling Canadian teenagers who volunteer to serve our nation"
“I am not surprised that the Pentagon supports trolling Canadian teenagers who volunteer to serve our nation. We are proud of our cadets.”Read statement
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- Jamelle Bouie says Hegseth mocked children for wanting to serve, and doubts the press will ask him why
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The Dispute Index. "Jamelle Bouie says Hegseth mocked children for wanting to serve, and doubts the press will ask him why". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1086-posting-on-bluesky-the-night-of-hegseth-s