‘This is real’: Pete Hegseth appears to mock Canadian military woman amid US-Canada tensions
US secretary of war Pete Hegseth appeared to mock the appearance of a uniformed woman featured in a Canadian cadet post on Tuesday, sharing her image on X with a Canadian flag and the words: “(this is real)”.The image, originally posted by the cadets.vernon Instagram account, showed the woman in Canadian military camouflage standing alongside another person in cadet attire. Hegseth did not explain what he meant or make any explicit reference to her weight. However, the post was widely interpreted as a weight-related jibe given his repeated use of the phrase “fit not fat” while pushing tougher physical standards in the US military.Canada’s Cadet Instructors Cadre is part of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve. It comprises approximately 7,800 commissioned officers whose primary responsibility is the safety, supervision, administration and training of more than 52,000 cadets, according to Canada’s Department of National Defence.
Hegseth has repeatedly used ‘fit not fat’
Weight and physical fitness have been recurring themes in Hegseth’s push for tougher standards in the US military.At the US Army War College in April 2025, he told military leaders they needed to be “fit not fat, sharp not shabby” while discussing a force-wide review of fitness, training and physical standards.His language became more pointed at a gathering of senior US military commanders at Quantico in September 2025.“It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said while laying out stricter fitness and appearance standards. In the same speech, he also complained about seeing “fat troops” in military formations. The Pentagon subsequently issued new guidance on physical fitness and grooming standards.The language continued into 2026. In February, Hegseth praised the US Army on X by writing: “Well done @USArmy. Merit-based & Fit NOT Fat.”At West Point in May, he told graduating cadets: “You’re fit, not fat. You are disciplined, not distracted.”Hegseth’s post about the Canadian cadet programme also comes at a particularly sensitive moment in relations between Washington and Ottawa, with the two neighbours locked in an escalating trade dispute and tensions rising over Canadian sovereignty.
Trade talks collapse, tariffs rise
Trade negotiations broke down in late August after Canada rejected last-minute US terms and suspended the talks. The United States subsequently imposed 50% tariffs on C$27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods.The Trump administration has accused Canadian policies of discriminating against US businesses, including in sectors such as motor vehicles and dairy, and imposed the duties under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.Canada disputes Washington’s case. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last-minute changes to the US proposal were “unfair, uneconomic” and called into question the reliability of any agreement. He said Ottawa would not accept terms that undermined Canadian interests and sovereignty.Among the sticking points were automobiles and broader questions over Canada’s ability to make independent decisions on trade and domestic policy.
Canada targets more than 700 US products
From September 8, Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on C$27.6 billion worth of US imports.The measures cover hundreds of American products and include sectors such as steel, dairy, household appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics. Ottawa says the countermeasures will match the US tariffs dollar for dollar.The stakes are considerable. The United States and Canada traded nearly $880 billion worth of goods and services in 2025, while about 72% of Canadian goods exports went to the US.The two economies are particularly closely integrated in sectors such as automobiles, where vehicles and components routinely move across the border during the manufacturing process.Carney has also pushed to reduce Canada’s dependence on the US market by expanding trade relationships elsewhere.
Trump rhetoric raises sovereignty tensions
Trade is only one source of friction. Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada could become the 51st US state, remarks rejected by Canadian leaders and which have added a sovereignty dimension to the economic confrontation.The rhetoric took another turn on August 27, when Trump signed an executive order directing the US government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America”.The order directs the US interior secretary and Board on Geographic Names to update federal references to the lake. The change applies to US federal usage and does not determine what Canada or international bodies call it.Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are due to take effect on September 8, with trade negotiations between the two countries still suspended.
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