Little Turtle Franklin Suddenly Goes Viral: An Edited Image by a US Official Sparks a Meme Coin

[Bitpush] Recently, a meme coin called Franklin has been going absolutely viral, racking up 9,310 transactions in just one hour and shooting straight to the top of the most active meme coins across the network. Its market cap rebounded from a low to $13.17 million, and its 24-hour trading volume soared to $19.8 million.

The coin’s logo is inspired by the lovable little turtle from the classic children’s cartoon “Franklin and Friends.” But what really set it off was a heavily edited image posted by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on social media—he turned the wholesome children’s book “Franklin the Turtle” into “Franklin Takes Down the Drug Cartel.” In the image, the little turtle is fully armed, firing at drug boats from a helicopter, with a caption reading “Best Christmas Gift.”

Hegseth is a retired military man known for his tough stance, and this time he used a fairy tale character for political satire, clearly hinting at using force to solve the border drug problem. The post instantly went viral: supporters thought it was hardcore, while opponents flooded the comments section, accusing him of glorifying violence and stoking war sentiment, perfectly highlighting America’s partisan divide over foreign and border issues.

That said, most meme coins like this have little real utility and are purely hype-driven—their prices go up and down like a rollercoaster. Before jumping on the bandwagon, you should definitely consider whether your wallet can handle the ride.