President Donald Trump has been blasted for attending a lavish Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago hours before a vital food assistance program relied upon by millions of Americans was about to lapse.
Some 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but because of the on-going government shutdown, funding for the critical scheme ended on November 1.
Meanwhile, Trump was pictured enjoying himself at the Halloween bash at his Palm Beach residence, surrounded by guests in Roaring 20s-style getup.
Gatsby and “a little party never killed nobody” was the “official theme” of the night, according to the Associated Press.
Prominent Democrats accused the president of prioritizing his “billionaire” friends over the American people.
“Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby party while SNAP benefits were about to disappear for 42 million Americans,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom in a post on X. “He does not give a damn about you.”
“Trump hosts a Gatsby party for billionaires while SNAP benefits expire for 41 million Americans today,” California Rep. Ro Khanna added on X. “Tax the rich. Feed hungry Americans.”
“The way he rubs his inhumanity in Americans’ face never ceases to stun me,” said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. “He’s illegally refusing to pay food stamp benefits…while he throws a ridiculously over the top Gatsby party for his right wing millionaire and corporate friends.”
Trump was sat next to his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, at a table in the center of the room.
Dancers in flapper costumes were pictured entertaining guests at the party.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
On Halloween, Trump also revealed he has renovated the bathroom in the White House Lincoln Bedroom.
“I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” he said on Truth Social, sharing pictures of the new gold and marble look. “It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era. I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble. This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
Legal challenges were mounted Friday as a federal judge ordered Trump to release emergency funding for SNAP before the Nov. 1 cut off, while another ruled that the government is likely illegally blocking the emergency money.
Trump said he wanted the courts to “clarify” how he can legally fund the program “as soon as possible” and blamed Democrats for the funding lapse.
“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he posted on Truth Social on Halloween.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” Trump added.
In a ruling from the bench Friday, Rhode Island District Judge Jack McConnell said “there is no doubt, and it is beyond argument, that irreparable harm will continue to occur” if the government stops funding SNAP, which supports nearly 42 million Americans and their families.
Families are already experiencing “terror” at the prospect that they will lose access to benefits on Saturday without urgent congressional action or the Trump administration’s intervention, he said during a virtual court hearing.
Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani, meanwhile, is giving the Trump administration until Monday to decide if it will release those emergency funds to keep SNAP afloat. But she said the government’s suspension of the program is likely unlawful.
“We’re not going to make everyone drop dead,” she said during a hearing in the case Thursday.
McConnell ordered the administration to use emergency funds — which amount to more than $5 billion — to keep SNAP running during the federal government shutdown, at least partially, and to identify other potential federal funds to support the program, absent any new funding from Congress.
A lawsuit from Democratic leaders from 25 states argues that the Department of Agriculture is legally required to continue funding the program as long as there are contingency funds to support it.
With reporting from Alex Woodward
