On Halloween night, President Donald Trump hosted a lavish Great Gatsby-themed party at Mar-a-Lago, complete with dazzling 1920s attire, flapper-dressed hosts and dance performances. Beginning only hours before many Americans were set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, also known as “food stamps,” the demonstration of exorbitant wealth is a slap in the face to those struggling to make ends meet.
For struggling communities, SNAP provides resources to alleviate food insecurity. SNAP only covers eligible food items, which do not include things like alcohol, tobacco products, household items, health items and pet care. Averaging just a few dollars per person a day, the program helps Americans facing poverty by giving them the resources they need to afford food for their families. The program is a necessity for countless individuals as food costs, along with wealth disparities, continue to rise.
Providing financial assistance to nearly 42 million Americans, SNAP’s funding is vital to the well-being of low-income families and households. While some states have started to source alternative funds to provide families access to food assistance programs, others have urged and even filed lawsuits against the Trump administration in order to pay for the deficit in SNAP benefits. Trump’s party, which is an insensitive and untimely display of wealth, is also an offense to lawmakers attempting to right the wrong of pausing SNAP benefits. Rather than putting his money toward feeding low-income Americans, Trump chose to host a holiday party, full of drinks and laughter, while many people cannot afford groceries.
The party’s theme, being Gatsby-inspired, is incredibly ironic as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” explored the connection between excessive wealth, moral decay and unhappiness. Released in the Roaring Twenties, it also examined themes of class and wealth disparity, highlighting the divide between the wealthy and the working class. The addition of Trump’s White House ballroom also has literary ties to the novel, in which the pool outside of Gatsby’s mansion is a demonstration of wealth beyond his extravagant parties. Trump, celebrating indulgence and spectacle while the system surrounding him is broken, mirrors the very disconnect Fitzgerald critiqued. The display is tone-deaf to the book’s messaging, which partially centers on the idea that wealth cannot buy happiness.
The ongoing government shutdown quickly led Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to send lawmakers home until the institution is up and running again, leaving only one Republican representative and Democratic representatives still going to work every day. By not only hosting, but attending this party while Americans are struggling amid the shutdown, Republicans are prioritizing themselves and their wealth above the well-being of their constituents.
In response to criticism of Trump’s party, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly turned the script, stating that Democrats are “full of it,” in reference to Democrats blaming Republicans for the effects of the government shutdown. She suggested that Democrats can reopen the government at any time, and that President Trump has called on them to do so. This response from the Republican Party, which has control of all three governmental branches, is disappointing and shifts blame to avoid responsibility for the suffering of Americans.
No matter who’s on what end of the finger pointing, access to food is a human right, and the United States government has a responsibility to provide food to those who cannot afford it. Trump’s Halloween party, which is an unnecessary and inconsiderate display of his personal financial status, flaunts the ease granted by money, which many Americans will never be able to access or afford. The timing of this celebration is simply salt in the wound for those struggling to make ends meet, and displays an administration that is neglectful and insensitive to the needs of the American people.
