Mother Jones
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Can a lump of coal be…cute? The Trump administration thinks so
Posted
March 18, 2026
Views
3,558
Likes
409
Comments
44
Engagement
12.73%
March 18, 2026
3,558
409
44
12.73%
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2:47Now PlayingCan a lump of coal be…cute?
Apparently, the Trump administration thinks so. Meet Coalie, the googly-eyed cartoon mascot the government recently appointed as the official “spokes-piece-of-coal” for America's energy agenda.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum debuted the character on social media next to a cartoon version of himself wearing a "Mine, Baby, Mine" hat. The internet was not charmed. Within hours, Coalie had been recast as an avatar of black lung disease and photoshopped handing out inhalers to children.
But Coalie is just the latest in a long line of figures deployed by controversial industries- from cigarettes to plutonium- to make dangerous things seem lovable. It all raises the question of what happens when cuteness replaces accountability.
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