The Isabel Brown Show – “Based Franklin, Pete Hegseth & the Meme That Broke Washington in 2025”

Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Isabel Brown
Podcast: The Daily Wire

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the unexpected viral phenomenon surrounding the Franklin the Turtle meme – how it began, why it’s sweeping the internet, the “meltdown” of politicians and mainstream media in response, and what Isabel views as the real issues being ignored in favor of manufactured outrage. Isabel brings her trademark directness and sharp wit to dissecting meme culture, political hypocrisy, and shifting standards for what truly deserves the public’s attention.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Franklin the Turtle’s Meme Transformation

• Origin Story: Isabel sets the stage with the explosive popularity of Franklin the Turtle memes, transforming the gentle Canadian children’s character into a "red-blooded conservative American hero."

  • “Frank the turtle, our beloved 90s kid character, has transformed miraculously before our eyes from sad Beta Canadian soy boy to red blooded based Alpha American in the span of just a few memes.” (Isabel Brown, 01:49)

• Timeline: Started on November 30th when Secretary of War (formerly Defense) Pete Hegseth posted a meme (possibly created first by Maverick Alexander/@MaverickDarby) depicting Franklin targeting narco-terrorist boats.

  Key Meme Example: ‘Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists’ – Franklin is seen in a helicopter, launching grenades at drug boats near the US.

  • “If you have a book that you would like Santa to bring you this year, you should be asking for Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists. A classic Franklin story.” (Guest, 05:03)

2. Washington’s Meltdown Over Memes

• Political reaction: Congress, particularly Senator Mark Kelly, and mainstream media have taken offense at the meme and Hegseth’s sense of humor.

  • “Congress in particular is losing its mind. Now. It’s Congress. Okay? You guys know how I feel about Congress … there’s a great TV show … the West Wing … the deputy Chief of staff, Josh Lyman … ‘I’m so sick of Congress I could vomit.’ And that's pretty much the perfect articulation as to my response to watching Congress have a meltdown over a fricking meme.” (Isabel Brown, 06:31)

    • Mark Kelly’s Criticism:
      • “He’s putting out on the Internet, turtles with rocket propelled grenades kill. I mean, have you seen this? This is the Secretary of Defense. This is not a serious person. He should have been fired after Signal.” (Mark Kelly, 07:44)
      • Isabel suggests this outrage is connected to recent calls by some legislators for military members to defy “unlawful” orders – painting the escalation as political theater and deflection.

3. Meta-Meme Escalation & Internet Response

• Publisher’s Statement Backfires:

  • Kids Can Press, Franklin’s Canadian publisher, issues a condemnation of the violent, unauthorized use of Franklin – inadvertently fanning the meme flames.
    • “We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image which directly contradicts these values.” (Kids Can Press via Isabel Brown, 11:32)
  • Meme creators vow to escalate the humor and creativity in response.

• Notable Meme Variations & Community Participation:

  • Franklin “conquers Canada”

  • Franklin brokers sale of Canada to the USA

  • Franklin joins ICE and arrests “illegal immigrant Dora the Explorer” while Boots and Swiper livestream (13:31)

  • Franklin defends libraries from Drag Queen Story Hour (15:03)

  • Franklin guards the women’s locker room from gender-nonconforming characters (16:01)

  • Franklin at a prayer vigil outside an abortion clinic (19:07)

  • Franklin teams up with Cat Turd to fight chemtrails (19:53)

  • Franklin bulldozes the Federal Reserve (“Franklin ends the Fed”) (20:06)

  • Franklin attends a Traditional Latin Mass, honors Mary at church (22:11, 22:32)

  • Isabel and her team even join in, creating their own Franklin memes for Catholic friends.

    • “Whoever invented this meme format, if indeed it was at Maverick Darby, thank you for your service to our society.” (Isabel Brown, 19:35)

4. Media & Institutional Outcry

• Article Highlights:
  • Politico: “Franklin the Turtle Publisher slams Hegseth for Violent Boat Strike post” (23:21)
  • NPR: “Franklin publisher slams Hegseth for his post of the Turtle firing on drug boats” (24:17)
  • BBC: “Franklin the Turtle and Sabrina Carpenter are in a tiff with the Trump administration” (24:34)
  • CBS: “Hegseth’s use of Franklin the Turtle in Meme on Boat strikes condemned by Book series publisher.” (24:49)
• Isabel ridicules the “toddler-level meltdown” from both politicians and journalists over a meme, especially in contrast to their seeming lack of outrage over graver issues.

5. What’s Being Ignored: “Real” News Stories

• Distraction from Serious Issues:

  • Isabel juxtaposes the meme meltdown with a shocking case from Minnesota – a Somali migrant convicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, receiving only a minimum sentence (28:19).

  • She shares the mosque’s letter in support of the perpetrator and criticizes cultural relativism and leniency in US law and asylum policy.

    • “So I tweeted this yesterday and I think it begs the question to ask again, forgive my youthful and cultural ignorance on all of this. Maybe I just genuinely don’t know any better, but is this letter from this guy’s mosque just openly saying that the kidnapping and rape of 12 year old girls is Somali culture? Hmm. Why would we ever give asylum to people like that? … Why would we ever make excuses for that behavior? But we are.” (Isabel Brown, 29:25)

  • She also highlights other similar stories of sexual violence and lack of accountability for migrants within Minnesota.

  • Rhetorical shift: She is angered by what she sees as misplaced outrage – memes get the press’s full attention, while rampant crime and threats to American safety receive excuses or silence.

    • “...Maybe instead of being so ridiculously outraged by one of our Cabinet secretaries being half aware of American culture and memes, the powers that be, from Washington to the media to everyone in between, really ought to be enraged about the kidnapping and rape of innocent American girls children.” (Isabel Brown, 34:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Meme Culture’s Power
  • “The fact that we have so many people in government leadership right now that understand meme culture, that can make something really funny … makes sense to us, not to Washington clearly, but sense to the American People, bravo. No notes.” (Isabel Brown, 05:30)
• Publisher’s Misstep
  • “You just violated the one rule of meme warfare, which is if you want it to go away, you just need to ignore it.” (Co-host/Guest, 11:47)
• On the Zeitgeist
  • “Thank you God for making me alive in 2025. A lot of people say they were born in the wrong generation. I am here for this right now.” (Isabel Brown, 23:00–23:05)
• Mocking Outrage
  • “Honestly, to me, it is just completely pathetic that the people in media and in Washington alike are having a toddler level meltdown like true temper tantrum about the posting of a literal meme from the Secretary of War when what they should be enraged about… is, I don’t know, legitimate narco terrorism…” (Isabel Brown, 24:49)
• Darker Realities
  • “Is this letter from this guy’s mosque just openly saying that the kidnapping and rape of 12 year old girls is Somali culture? Hmm. Why would we ever give asylum to people like that?” (Isabel Brown, 29:25)
• Call to Audience Participation
  • “I am here for the Franklin memes and I'm dying to know if you have a favorite Franklin meme from the last 48 hours that maybe I have not seen as it's going super viral.” (Isabel Brown, 34:36)

Memes Highlight Reel (with Timestamps)

• Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists (05:03)
• Franklin Conquers/Sells Canada (12:21, 12:36)
• Franklin joins ICE, arrests Dora the Explorer (13:31, 14:40)
• Franklin defends the library / fights Drag Queen Story Hour (15:03)
• Franklin guards the women’s locker room (15:41–16:16)
• Franklin at prayer vigil (19:07)
• Franklin vs. chemtrails, bulldozes the Fed (19:53–20:06)
• Franklin attends Latin Mass, honors Mary (22:11, 22:32)

Commentary on Meme Warfare & the Political Moment

• Isabel and her guest celebrate the viral creative energy, mocking both the establishment’s inability to handle internet culture and the way attempts to censor or control memes only backfire.
• The show positions meme culture as both cathartic and meaningful—connecting people more profoundly than political soundbites and squabbles in D.C.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Meme Context — [01:49–03:19]
• Meme’s Political Fallout — [06:31–09:53]
• Publisher’s Response Ignites Meme-Fire — [10:54–12:13]
• Franklin Meme Variations — [13:11–22:35]
• Media Coverage and Critique — [23:21–24:49]
• What’s Being Ignored: Migrant Crime — [28:19–34:24]
• Community Meme Share & Outro — [34:36–35:08]

Episode Tone & Language

Isabel’s tone throughout is direct, irreverent, and often sarcastic—energetically critiquing what she sees as misplaced priorities from the media and political class, while playfully celebrating the creative “meme warriors” of the internet. The discussion blends internet culture with pointed political analysis, always returning to the show’s mission of “bold truth-seeking” and cultural commentary that “stays with you.”

For First-Time Listeners

This episode is a fast-moving exploration of the culture war frontlines—specifically meme culture’s role in shaping (or skewering) public debate, and the political establishment’s struggle to keep up with (and meaningfully respond to) new forms of communication and satire. At the same time, Isabel uses the meme phenomenon as a jumping off point to highlight what she views as more pressing societal dangers—urging listeners to keep their focus on “what actually matters.”