Trump and Musk mock federal workers with SpongeBob SquarePants meme: 'Read some emails, cried some more'

Elon Musk and Donald Trump shared a meme mocking federal employees after the president asked them to submit a report on what they accomplished last week
UPDATED FEB 25, 2025
Donald Trump and Elon Musk teamed up over the weekend in their mission to trim down the federal workforce, but they also had a little fun while doing it (Getty Images and X/@elonmusk)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk teamed up over the weekend in their mission to trim down the federal workforce, but they also had a little fun while doing it (Getty Images and X/@elonmusk)

WASHINGTON, DC: If there’s one thing Donald Trump and Elon Musk love to do, it’s trolling their enemies—and this time, they’re doing it with some high-quality memes.

SpongeBob SquarePants somehow just made his way into serious government business, but let’s just say not everyone is laughing. 

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 05: Elon Musk leaps on stage with Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally from behind bullet resistant glass at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This is the first time that Trump has returned to Butler since he was injured during an attempted assassination on July 13. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Elon Musk leaps on stage with President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Donald Trump and Elon Musk embrace SpongeBob SquarePants

Donald Trump and Elon Musk teamed up over the weekend in their mission to trim down the federal workforce, but they also had a little fun while doing it.

The two powerhouses shared a hilarious (or brutal) meme mocking government employees after Trump ordered them to submit a report on what they actually accomplished last week.

The meme featured a to-do list titled "Got Done Last Week" with five snarky bullet points:

— "Cried about Trump."

— "Cried about Elon."

— "Made it into the office for once."

— "Read some emails."

— "Cried about Trump and Elon some more."

Musk was the first to drop the SpongeBob-inspired burn on X (formerly) around 9:15 am on Sunday, February 23.



 

Trump wasted no time reposting it to Truth Social. By Tuesday morning, Musk’s post had racked up more than 40 million views, along with 471,000 likes, 52,000 reposts, and 19,000 comments.

Outrage as Donald Trump and Elon Musk turn up the heat

Of course, the aforementioned meme wasn’t just for laughs. Elon Musk made it very clear that the government was about to get a major shakeup under Donald Trump’s leadership.

The tech billionaire made a bombshell announcement a day before posting the meme. "Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," he wrote.



 

This move is part of Musk and Trump’s joint effort to expose what they call waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. 

"A large number of good responses have been received already. These are the people who should be considered for promotion," Musk posted on X.



 

But while Musk and Trump are on a mission to clean house, not everyone is thrilled with their methods. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was among the first to slam the move, calling it "absurd."

"Our public workforce deserves to be treated with dignity and respect for the unheralded jobs they perform. The absurd weekend email to justify their existence wasn’t it," she wrote on X.



 

Then came Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn), who called out Musk directly. "This is the ultimate d**k boss move from Musk – except he isn’t even the boss, he’s just a d**k," she posted.

Musk clapped back at Smith with a savage reply, "What did you get done last week?"



 

Meanwhile, government agencies weren’t exactly rushing to comply with the new directive. The Department of Defense issued a memo instructing employees to "pause any response to the OPM email titled ‘What did you do last week,’" while the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard echoed the same warning to their employees.

"Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, IC employees should not respond to the OPM email," Gabbard told workers, according to the New York Times.

Donald Trump wants Elon Musk to go harder 

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 05: Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) endorses Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This is the first time that Trump has returned to Butler since he was injured during an attempted assassination on July 13th. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) with President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Elon Musk isn’t just poking around for fun. Donald Trump has officially put him in charge of a brand-new government agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Since taking office last month, the president has handed Musk the keys to one of the most aggressive overhauls of the federal workforce in history.

DOGE has been slashing thousands of government jobs, dismantling federal programs, and ordering agencies to find employees who can be laid off.

And while some critics think Musk is already being ruthless, Trump wants even more. "Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive. Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA," Trump declared on Truth Social.



 

And if government workers were hoping the courts would save them—not so fast.

A labor union tried to halt Trump’s mass firings, but a judge rejected the request last week. That means Musk and Trump are full steam ahead on their plan to "drain the swamp"—or at least the parts they consider wasteful. 

Donald Trump offers his hand to Elon Musk back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This is the first time that Trump has returned to Butler since he was injured during an attempted assassination on July 13. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Donald Trump offers his hand to Elon Musk back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

MORE STORIES

With the US nearing a government shutdown, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video mocking Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries as desperate
15 hours ago
Trump revived his long-running clash with Jerome Powell by sharing a viral cartoon while demanding deeper rate cuts despite Fed independence
2 days ago
Supreme Court backs Trump’s move to freeze $4 billion in foreign aid, marking a major win for executive power
3 days ago
Pam Bondi also said the Justice Department was transferring inmates taken off death row under former President Joe Biden into maximum-security prisons
4 days ago
During a Wisconsin Senate immigration debate, the top Democrat lunged at chairman’s gavel, calling Republicans 'cowards' and questioning their faith
4 days ago
Donald Trump said UN officials 'ought to be ashamed,' adding he will send a letter to the Secretary General demanding an immediate investigation
5 days ago
JD Vance said that Democrats like Gavin Newsom and the left-wing media fuel violence by spreading lies about law enforcement
5 days ago
The display shows black-and-white presidential portraits in gold frames, but Joe Biden is replaced with an autopen signing his signature
5 days ago
The FBI confirmed the Dallas ICE shooting is a targeted assault after Joshua Jahn allegedly killed two detainees before turning the gun on himself
5 days ago
Local residents say they never want to see Lance Twiggs again, even as his dusty car and abandoned Amazon packages sit as reminders of the couple
6 days ago