Donald Trump’s PBS ‘RADICAL LEFT MONSTERS’ are actually beloved childhood icons
Remember when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter (now terribly known as X)? Those were good times. Now, President Trump is free to spout his nonsense almost anywhere on the internet, and he’s doing so with zero hesitation. His latest all-caps X rant is aimed at respected institutions like NPR and PBS.
Related: JD Vance pressed on innocent father sent to nightmare prison, insists ‘some traffic violations’ mean it’s fine on We Got This Covered
Yes, Trump hates NPR and PBS, the publically funded nonprofit media organizations that provide Americans with desperately needed coverage of breaking political news (both domestic and foreign) and pioneering educational programs. It wasn’t enough for Trump to kick NPR out of the Pentagon’s press pool and replace them with the likes of Breitbart and One America News Network. Trump wants NPR gone for good. In an X post published on April 1, 2025 (you’d almost be forgiven for thinking this was an April Fools’ prank, but alas, this is from the verified @realDonaldTrump account), Trump wrote:
“REPUBLICANS MUST DEFUND AND TOTALLY DISASSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM NPR & PBS, THE RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’ THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!”
Trump’s ire with NPR is despicable but well known; his administration has been waging a war against the free press since moving into the White House on January 20. His problems with PBS are more confusing, though. Who are these “RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS'” he speaks of? Well, X user Liz Charboneau thinks they’ve got it figured out: maybe Trump is afraid of the Sesame Street crew.
Why would Trump be afraid of a bunch of muppets? What did Elmo ever do to him? Of course, it’s not really about PBS’ Sesame Street but more about what they and other PBS kid-friendly shows stand for. Since its creation in the ’60s, Sesame Street has preached the power of community, inclusivity, friendship, and understanding, all things Trump and his cronies vehemently oppose and abhor. Republicans can’t have the next generation learning about the power of sharing and diversity, can they? How would they hold on to their power if kids know not to hate those who are different? What will they do with children who are genuinely excited to learn and better themselves?
We can joke, of course, and it’s fun to imagine Donald Trump being scared of the Sesame Street cast, but his angry words are genuinely worrisome, too. So far, Trump and Elon Musk have managed to gut the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Which institutions will be on the chopping block next? Who will be left to provide honest and truthful information after this administration’s crusade? If anything, we need NPR, PBS, and yes, even Sesame Street now more than ever.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
