President Donald Trump went on a rant aboard Air Force One Thursday, telling reporters that most food stamp recipients are โlargely Democrats.โ He made the comments while pushing his partyโs message during the ongoing government shutdown.
The remarks came just before two federal judges โ Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts and Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island โ ordered the White House to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps.
Trump was flying to Mar-a-Lago for his Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party when reporters asked about SNAP. He responded with a mix of political blame, self-praise, and a dash of confusion.
โOn the SNAP benefits set to expire tomorrow, folks are (INAUDIBLE) about putting out canned goods and non-perishables for trick-or-treaters. Is there a possibility, like you did with the military moving around funds, is there a possibility to do that?โ a reporter asked.
โWell, it always is, but all the Democrats have to do is say, letโs go. I mean, you know, they donโt have to do anything. They donโt, all they have to do is, say, the government is open. And we only need five Democrats,โ Trump replied.
He then broadened his attack, calling Democrats โradical leftโ and claiming they had โlost their minds.โ
โBut theyโve become a radical left party. They really have, theyโve become a very radical left partner. And theyโve lost their minds. Theyโve lost their minds. All they have to do is say the government is open and thatโs the end of it,โ he said.
Trump added a note of fairness, insisting he wanted to help everyone.
โAnd you know largely, when you talk about SNAP, youโre talking about largely Democrats, butโฆ Iโm president. I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans,โ he said.
Then he circled back to his usual blame game.
โBut when youโre talking about SNAP, if you look, itโs largely Democrats hurting their own people. Thank you very much, everybody,โ Trump said.
The irony of his claim is hard to miss. Of the 30 states he carried in 2024, 25 rely on SNAP more than the national average. That means many of the states that gave him victory have more people depending on food assistance than most of the country.
You can watch the full exchange below:
Featured image via YouTube screengrab