Republicans got outplayed by Sesame Street's Elmo - and critics won't let them forget it

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump and House Republicans attempted to align the “Sesame Street” character Elmo with their MAGA movement by sharing a video of Elmo expressing support for Team USA in the World Cup.
• Social media users quickly pointed out the hypocrisy, reminding Republicans that they previously defunded PBS and criticized “Sesame Street” for being “woke,” highlighting a longstanding GOP opposition to the show.
• Trump's opposition to “Sesame Street” appears personal as well as ideological, stemming from a decades-old parody character named Ronald Grump that mocked Trump on the show since the 1980s.
• The parody continued into Trump's reality TV years, with “Sesame Street” satirizing his NBC show “The Apprentice,” fueling Trump's ongoing vendetta against the network and its programming.
• Despite Elmo's inclusive message of love for all players, Republicans used his support for Team USA to frame Democrats as unpatriotic, a move criticized for ignoring the broader context of the GOP's stance on the show.