Trump's Halloween Party Had The Worst Theme Possible And The Internet Definitely Noticed

At this point in Donald Trump's second presidential term, there are some things that we know for sure about him. Trump has a fragile ego, going so far as to plead for applause at times, and he is particularly out of touch with the everyday American, as evidenced by his bragging about White House renovations. An example of the latter came with a Halloween party that was thrown at Mar-a-Lago. The theme was literally, "A little party never killed nobody," which is a lyric from the 2013 movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." It wasn't even attempted ironically, as many attendees went all-in on the Roaring Twenties theme. For those of us not on the guest list, it came across as uniquely tone deaf, as evidenced by the online response.

Dancers entertain his rich friends at Trump's lavish Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party as Americans begin losing food assistance under his administration. pic.twitter.com/Uh8rGbIS44

— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) November 1, 2025

For those of you not up to date on your English lit, "The Great Gatsby" is set in the early 1920s, and it's all about how the American Dream has become a distant, unachievable goal, with Fitzgerald highlighting the stark divisions between the haves and the have-nots. The book details how the excesses of the rich may lead do their downfall, as with the Great Depression. All in all, one wouldn't think it would be the ideal theme for a party held at a president's beach club during a government shutdown, literally the night before SNAP benefits (aka food stamps) were set to be terminated. Trump's never been one for convention, so we're frankly not that surprised by this crass choice. Nonetheless, it upset plenty of people online.

Social media had a field day calling out Donald Trump for his out-of-touch Halloween party theme. Plenty of people on X (formerly Twitter) compared him to Marie Antoinette, and one person joked, "Someone told [Trump] how ostentatious the French monarchy was and then didn't tell him how they ended." Others thought it could be a sign of things to come. "Has any sitting president been publicly entertained by Vegas show girl fan dancers before? Folks, we are this close to pole dancers at the Kennedy Center," wrote another person on X.

Some thought that it was a part of Trump's response to the "No Kings" rally and his inability to handle mass disapproval from the world. Some quoted a line from "The Great Gatsby" that they felt was particularly apt for the situation: "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (via X).

Others thought the Halloween party showed a double standard between what Trump could get away with versus other presidents, like with the lack of outrage from Trump wearing a red MAGA hat in the Oval Office compared to when Barack Obama wore a tan suit. "Remember when [the] GOP and media practically wanted to make it an impeachable offense when President Obama simply took Michelle to New York city for dinner and a play in 2009 during tough economic times?" one person asked on X. All in all, partying during a shutdown is not a good look.