Hours before he was set to shut off food stamp benefits to more than 40 million low-income Americans on Friday, President Donald Trump hosted a lavish “Great Gatsby”-themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in posh Palm Beach, Florida, producing some of the most tone-deaf images ever captured of an American president.
Video and photos show a smiling Trump sitting at a table while scantily clad women in glittery 1920s flapper outfits dance around his table.
Meanwhile, despite two federal judges clearly ordering Trump to continue to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—better known as food stamps—Trump said it was still unclear to him whether he had the authority to fund the program, and thus he was not yet releasing the funds.
It’s just the latest time Trump has defied court orders to do cruel things.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the SNAP program, also sent a letter to grocery stores that accept SNAP over the weekend saying those stores cannot provide discounts to food stamp recipients to help them pay for their groceries during the lapse in funding.
The all-caps REMINDER message USDA sent out reads:
-
YOU MUST OFFER ELIGIBLE FOODS AT THE SAME PRICES AND ON THE SAME TERMS AND CONDITIONS TO SNAP-EBT CUSTOMERS AS OTHER CUSTOMERS, EXCEPT THAT SALES TAX CANNOT BE CHARGED ON SNAP PURCHASES.
-
YOU CANNOT TREAT SNAP-EBT CUSTOMERS DIFFERENTLY THAN ANY OTHER CUSTOMER.
-
OFFERING DISCOUNTS OR SERVICES ONLY TO SNAP PAYING CUSTOMERS IS A SNAP VIOLATION UNLESS YOU HAVE A SNAP EQUAL TREATMENT WAIVER.
It shows the Trump administration is okay with following the law—so long as it hurts people they don’t care about.
Ultimately, the images of Trump at a lavish party while he purposefully cut off food stamps is an absolute gift for Democrats, whose whole message during the month-long government shutdown has been that Trump is more concerned with taking care of himself and his rich pals than the millions of hardworking Americans who are struggling with the cost of living.
Democrats were quick to spread the images of Trump's party to make that point.
“The shutdown is fun for Trump because he gets to throw lavish Gatsby-themed parties for his millionaire friends AND invent new and innovative ways to hurt poor people,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy wrote in a post on X on Monday morning.
"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 Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on X, along with an image of Trump enjoying his ritzy gala.
“THIS MOTHERFUCKER HELD A GREAT GATSBY PARTY WHILE 43 MILLION PEOPLE GO HUNGRY AND HEALTHCARE COSTS KEEP RISING,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who also serves as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, wrote in a post on Bluesky.
The nauseating “Great Gatsby” party was just the latest tone-deaf action Trump has taken in recent weeks.
On Friday, hours before food stamp funding was set to expire, Trump also posted a series of images of a bathroom renovation at the White House, which was refitted with lavish marble and gold fixtures.
Trump also decided that the middle of a government shutdown—when millions of federal workers are being furloughed and worry they, too, won’t be able to feed their families—was a great time to begin construction on a $300 million ballroom at the White House where he can host more of his rich pals for lavish affairs funded by taxpayer dollars.
It’s no wonder Trump’s approval rating is sinking faster than a water-logged boat.
