The Department of Defense faced heavy criticism after uploading an AI-generated image of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in which his pinky finger was missing. Posted on X by the DOD Rapid Response account, the image shows a stern-looking Hegseth standing beside a border fence under a waving American flag, raising a three-fingered hand while three sinister figures observe. One of the masked men holds a box subtly labeled “DRUGS” with the caption “100% Operational Control. ” Many online commentators quickly noted that Hegseth appears to be on the wrong side of the fence, facing away from the bad actors, and raising his mutilated hand as though acting as their bodyguard. Others questioned which of America’s 50 states were represented by the 32 stars on Hegseth’s flag, and which of the original 13 colonies was missing from the stripes. This blunder comes at a sensitive time for Hegseth, amid rumors about the White House’s dissatisfaction with his performance after a series of embarrassing errors, security lapses, and erratic public appearances in recent weeks. The harshest criticism has centered on his key role in the Signalgate scandal, which erupted when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a group chat where Hegseth and other senior members of the Trump administration discussed highly sensitive details of impending missile strikes in Yemen. Since then, it has emerged that the defense secretary also shared these plans through chats with his lawyer, wife, and brother, and bypassed security protocols to install the app on his Pentagon office computer.

Additionally, he used the same phone number across various platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, Airbnb, and a fantasy sports site.