No, Rachel Levine didn’t say Dr. Seuss books and Mr. Potato Head are bad for kids

Misinformation about Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of health, has been prominent on social media lately. One image that’s been shared widely combines all three. 

According to text in the image, which misspells Dr. Seuss, Levine "is telling us that Dr. Suess books and Mr. Potato head are bad for the children."

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Dr. Seuss Enterprises recently announced it would no longer publish and license six books by the children’s author that have been criticized for how they depict Black and Asian people. And Hasbro, the company behind the toy Mr. Potato Head, said it was dropping the "Mr." from the product name.

But we couldn’t find any evidence that Levine said Dr. Seuss books and Mr. Potato Head are bad for children. 

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stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts

“Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’”

We looked online, we searched the Nexis news archive, we searched her Twitter account, and we reviewed her Senate confirmation hearing and her testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 

We did find news coverage that mentioned Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and Levine, who is a transgender woman. The Washington Post, for example, reported on the "intensifying battle over transgender rights" and how conservatives are outraged that Hasbro is making the name of the Potato Head line of toys gender neutral.

Considering that "intensifying battle," it would make sense that any comments Levine made about Seuss or the toy would draw widespread media attention. But there’s none. 

We rate this post False.