George Clooney calls out Pete Hegseth for mocking Canadian military cadets

Actor George Clooney is calling out U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his recent comments mocking two female Canadian military cadets.

On Monday, Hegseth posted an image of two female cadets at a British Columbia training centre with the words “this is real” and a Canadian flag.

Clooney said he was “ashamed” of Hegseth’s post while attending the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, where he received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening ceremony.

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“The idea that cruelty is the base — that being cruel and unkind is part of the fun of all of this,” Clooney told reporters. “You see what the secretary of defense just tweeted out a picture about women in the military in Canada, and you’re going, ‘What’s wrong with you? Where’s the sense of decency in all of this?’

“And I’m ashamed of all of that, but we will get through it, and we will come out better on the other side.”

The 65-year-old actor also spoke about U.S. politics and the direction of the country under the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump.

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“I’m always very optimistic about things,” he said. “We’re at a moment in time that’s unfortunate…. That’s an understatement. I do believe that we’re going to get through all of this. I’m old enough to have been through 1968 in the States when every city in the United States was set on fire, and we lost Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in the same year. There was tons of violence. The capital was surrounded with tanks. We’ve had some other difficult times, but this is one of them,” Clooney said.

He also suggested that the midterm elections in November could restore “some normalcy” to the United States.

“There’s a great word, kakistocracy, which is a country run by the least qualified people. I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we’ll get through it, and we will have an election in November that should be a check and balance, and then in 2028, with any luck, we’ll have some restoration into some normalcy,” he added.

Clooney is not the only person who has spoken out following Hegseth’s post on X.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the message was “beneath their office.”

“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said of U.S.-Canada trade talks. “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”

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British Columbia Premier David Eby also responded, calling Hegseth’s post “an embarrassment” and saying that he was looking at the remarks in the context of the U.S.’s war in Iran, calling it “a war that was supposed to be over in a few days.”

“To think that in that context the elected leadership of the military has decided to attack cadets who have volunteered to serve their country selflessly as part of a military that has been an ally to the United States for generations, it tells you everything you need to know about the amateur hour.”

Defence Minister David McGuinty also said the recent social media post from Hegseth was “below the dignity of the office he holds.”

When asked about the backlash stemming from Hegseth’s post on Tuesday, Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss told The Canadian Press, “The X post speaks for itself.”

The Army Cadet League of Canada took to Facebook to speak out following Hegseth’s post, writing, “The Army Cadet League of Canada stands firmly behind cadets, adult staff, volunteers, and officers who dedicate their time to building stronger communities and developing the next generation of Canadian leaders.”

“The Canadian Cadet Programs provide world-class leadership, citizenship, and physical fitness opportunities to tens of thousands of young Canadians across the country, completely free of barrier. The dedicated officers of the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service and civilian volunteers go above and beyond every day to mentor, educate, and celebrate the genuine achievements of these young people,” the statement continued.

“The safety, dignity, and well-being of our members, cadet leaders, and especially cadets is our highest priority. We strongly condemn any online harassment, or mockery of cadets’ achievements. Directing derogatory commentary toward youth who are actively working to better themselves and serve their communities is unacceptable.”

“We remain immensely proud of cadets and the leaders who support them, and we will continue to champion their hard work, resilience, and service to Canada,” the statement concluded, adding the hashtag #NoPlaceForHate.

— with files from Global News’ Alex Boutilier

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