President Donald Trump threw a lavish Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago while millions of Americans faced a lapse in food aid.
Some 42 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Funding for the program ended on November 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown.
Meanwhile, Trump was surrounded by guests in Roaring 20s costumes. The theme of the night, according to the Associated Press, was “Gatsby” with the motto, “a little party never killed nobody.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the president on X. “Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby party while SNAP benefits were about to disappear for 42 million Americans. He does not give a damn about you.”
California Rep. Ro Khanna added, “Trump hosts a Gatsby party for billionaires while SNAP benefits expire for 41 million Americans today. Tax the rich. Feed hungry Americans.”
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, “The way he rubs his inhumanity in Americans’ face never ceases to stun me. 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.”
Photos show Trump seated next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a central table. Dancers in flapper costumes entertained guests, while the country waited on food aid.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended Trump. “President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government,” she told The Independent. “Unfortunately, Gavin Newscum, Chuck Schumer, and Congressional Democrats would rather push health care for illegal immigrants than save American citizens from suffering.”
On Halloween, Trump also shared a post about renovating the White House Lincoln Bedroom bathroom. “I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” he wrote on Truth Social. “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 action followed immediately. Rhode Island District Judge Jack McConnell said the SNAP lapse could cause “irreparable harm” to millions of Americans. Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani gave the administration until Monday to decide if emergency funds would be released.
Trump said he wanted courts to “clarify” how he could legally fund SNAP. “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.
Emergency funds of more than $5 billion are available. Judges urged the administration to use them to keep SNAP running during the shutdown. A lawsuit from 25 states argues the Department of Agriculture is legally required to continue funding the program if contingency funds exist.
Featured image via Youtube screengrab
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