The Department of Education marked Teacher Appreciation Week with a “SpongeBob SquarePants”-themed post on X that quickly drew mockery and backlash online.
“Teachers are dedicated,” the department — which President Donald Trump has long sought to dismantle — wrote on Wednesday alongside an image of the character Mrs. Puff reading a book titled “MAGA.”
Critics quickly pointed to what they saw as hypocrisy from Republicans who frequently complain about children being “indoctrinated by Democrats” in schools while putting a “Make America Great Again” spin on a cartoon character.
Others noted that Mrs. Puff is perhaps best known in the show for SpongeBob SquarePants’ repeated failure to pass his driving exam, despite her lessons.