The White House was widely mocked after posting an image of SpongeBob SquarePants wearing a MAGA hat, prompting social media users to respond with their own versions.
Nickelodeon celebrated #SpongeBobDay on X, prompting the White House to join the conversation with an edited image of SpongeBob from the Season 3 episode "One Krabs Trash." The altered image showed SpongeBob wearing the episode's signature soda-drink hat, but with Trump's "MAGA" slogan replacing the original design on the front.
You can see the post and the image below.
@TheWhiteHouse/X
People were quick to respond with their own versions, including this one commenting on President Donald Trump being heavily featured in the Epstein files.
@gregalmonte/X
And then there's this one pointing out that Trump "protects pedos."
@willbarrelUSA/X
Did we mention that someone made a version featuring SpongeBob on Epstein's private island?
@mandaconda__/X
And how could we forget this version of the meme that mocks the MAGA faithful for drinking the Kool-Aid?
@justinedougher6/X
The commentary was a blast, too.
This isn't the first time the White House has used beloved cartoon characters as propaganda pieces.
Several months ago, the White House's social media team attempted to capitalize on a new meme from the game Pokémon Pokopia to promote President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, prompting almost immediate backlash from fans.
Pokémon fans decided to use meme generators to create some memes of their own after the White House used one to insert the 'MAGA' slogan into a scene from the new game.
The Pokémon Company International later released a statement distancing itself from the memes, saying that "Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.” The company stressed "we were not involved in its [the meme's] creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property."
@AaronParnas/X
@AaronParnas/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@mediumboi; @betteramerica28/Threads
@amanda_miaka/Threads
@jomckelley/Threads