Department of Education Joins Viral Malfoid Trend
The federal agency posted a Hogwarts-themed image featuring the viral gender-swapped character.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Education — General
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The Department of Education recently participated in the viral social media trend known as Malfoid. The agency shared an image of Hogwarts Castle alongside slogans linking education to the pop culture phenomenon.
Why it matters
Government agencies frequently leverage viral social media trends to align administrative messaging with popular culture among younger audiences.
The original trend, which involves gender-swapping Draco Malfoy, reached 23 million views on X. The Department of Education post utilized slogans including There's Magic in Learning! and Make education great again.
The players
Department of Education
This federal agency is responsible for establishing national education policy and managing student loan programs.
REDTEN
This X user is credited with originating the viral Malfoid trend.
J.K. Rowling
She is the author of the Harry Potter book series and has not yet commented on the trend.
The details
The Department of Education shared an image of Hogwarts Castle featuring the character known as Malfoid, a portmanteau of Malfoy and a term for a female humanoid. The post showcased the character observing protagonists within a school setting to engage with the online trend.
Timeline
September 22, 2026: The Malfoid trend originated with a post on X.
October 27, 2026: The Department of Education joined the viral trend.
Culture Shift
The federal participation in the Malfoid trend marks a departure from traditional government communication norms. This shift illustrates the increasing reliance of public institutions on viral social media algorithms to maintain relevance with digital-native populations.
This trend influences how younger Americans interact with government communications on social media platforms. Users may notice increased usage of niche internet vernacular in official messaging aimed at younger demographics.
The takeaway
Engaging with transient internet memes has become a standard tool for large institutions attempting to appear relatable to digital audiences. Readers should expect more government accounts to attempt similar viral crossovers as digital engagement remains a key metric for agency outreach.
Further reading
Learn more about federal initiatives at the Education — General section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Just The News.
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