Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spent her first Halloween at the White House dressed as Ms. Frizzle of “Magic School Bus” fame — a move that was immediately met with derision from her critics.
DeVos appeared on the White House South Lawn dressed as the beloved — and eccentric — teacher from the educational TV show, posing at times beside Kellyanne Conway and President Trump in an orange wig and intergalactic-themed dress.
However, many chastised DeVos, who has recently been seen as lenient on campus sexual assault policies and criticized for considering rolling back a plan on forgiving loan debt for certain college students, among other issues.
Betsy DeVos how dare you besmirch the good name and honor of Ms. Frizzle!!! pic.twitter.com/yN57Vb1DnB
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) October 31, 2017
The joke here is that Ms. Frizzle, a fictional character, is more qualified to be Secretary of Education than Betsy DeVos. #HappyHalloween pic.twitter.com/FJjtatRNU9
— Carson Blackwelder (@cblackwelder) October 31, 2017
Unlike @BetsyDeVos, Ms. Frizzle supported science in the classroom and actually had a background in education https://t.co/aiMcvuICTC
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) October 31, 2017
Betsy DeVos as Ms. Frizzle already ruined Halloween. I'm out. pic.twitter.com/NuzIRTpang
— �ngel D�az (@siegfriendo) October 31, 2017
Ms. Frizzle is a national treasure and would without a doubt disapprove of Betsy DeVos. https://t.co/qJ6nv3d3nH
— Samantha Bommelje (@s_bomm) October 31, 2017
how DARE Betsy DeVos try to dress up as queer icon Ms. Frizzle pic.twitter.com/Z3kEsLVJ35
— Brendan Davis (@notbrendan) October 31, 2017
DeVos certainly doesn’t seem too popular in progressive Massachusetts. During a Harvard appearance in September, hundreds protested the education secretary’s visit, criticizing her positions on campus sexual assault and school choice.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has also been among DeVos’s most vocal critics, challenging her on the Trump administration’s new rules for adjudicating campus sexual assault and accusing her of supporting for-profit colleges at the expense of student loan borrowers. Meanwhile, local activists and students sued DeVos earlier this month in a challenge to the government’s pending policy change on campus assault cases.