On December 2, 2025, pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and Kids Can Press, the publisher of the children's character Franklin the Turtle, publicly condemned the Trump administration for appropriating their music and imagery for political purposes. Carpenter criticized the use of her song "Juno" in a video depicting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, describing the video as "evil and disgusting" and asserting that her work should not be utilized to support what she characterized as an inhumane agenda.

In a separate incident, Kids Can Press objected to a post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on social media, which featured a manipulated image of Franklin the Turtle aiming a bazooka at boats, captioned "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists." The publisher emphasized their strong opposition to any violent or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image, stating that such actions contradict the character's values.

This controversy arises amid ongoing military operations by the Trump administration in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, targeting small boats suspected of drug trafficking, which have resulted in over 80 fatalities since early September. The incidents reflect a broader trend where numerous artists, including ABBA, Bruce Springsteen, and Rihanna, have voiced their objections to the administration's use of their copyrighted material for political messaging, raising significant ethical questions about the intersection of art and state agendas.