GREAT GATSBY THEME
Alexander Willis
November 1, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., October 31, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
As 42 million Americans missed their first food assistance payment Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown, President Trump attended a Great Gatsby–themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort — sparking outrage from critics who described the event as ‘tone deaf.”
“Trump and Rubio at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party, on day 31 of the shutdown,” wrote Danny Kemp, the White House correspondent for AFP, in a social media post on X Friday night. “Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody,’ we’re told.”
Critics couldn’t help but point out the irony of the theming of the party, based on the 1925 novel that offers a sharp critique of social and economic inequality seen during the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, which was fraught with corporate and government corruption.
“This is truly perfect, they were cosplaying the Great Gatsby, while we're in a shutdown and people are losing their SNAP benefits and health benefits,” wrote X user “MFT Guy Has Thoughts,” a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party who’s amassed more than 4,300 followers. “I don't think you could script it better.”
“Peak level tone deaf,” wrote another X user, “AJL,” who says they’re a lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. “And no GOP Fox viewer will even know.”
Trump has frequently been criticized for either throwing lavish parties or making remarks critics have labeled as “tone deaf” given current events, with the most recent instance being less than 24 hours before his Halloween party, where he boasted online about an expensive refurbishing of a White House bathroom, just hours before 42 millions Americans would lose federal food assistance.
More than 12% of the U.S. population receives food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, including 16 million children. The Trump administration has also refused to tap into a pool of around $6 billion in emergency funds specifically earmarked for programs like SNAP to ensure Americans receive food assistance, a decision that frustrated a federal judge.
With Food Aid Suspended for Millions of Families, Trump Brags of ‘Statuary Marble’ Bathroom Makeover
“He’s a psychopath, humanly incapable of caring about anyone or anything but himself,” one critic said of Trump.
The bathroom adjacent to the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom is seen after being remodeled by President Donald Trump.
(Image via Truth Social)
Brad Reed
Oct 31, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
As millions of families across the US are about to lose their access to food aid over the weekend, President Donald Trump on Friday decided to show off photos of a White House bathroom that he boasted had been refurbished in “highly polished, statuary marble.”
Trump posted photos of the bathroom on his Truth Social platform, and he explained that he decided to remodel it because he was dissatisfied with the “art deco green tile style” that had been implemented during a previous renovation, which he described as “totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.”
States in Emergency Mode as Trump GOP Refuses to Fund Food Aid for Poor Americans
Millions of US Families Could Soon Go Hungry Thanks to Trump-GOP Government Shutdown
“I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble,” Trump continued. “This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
Trump’s critics were quick to pan the remodeled bathroom, especially since it came at a time when Americans are suffering from numerous policies the president and the Republican Party are enacting, including tariffs that are raising the cost of food and clothing; expiring subsidies for Americans who buy health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges; and cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) programs in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Sure, you might not be able to eat or go to the doctor, but check out how nice Trump’s new marble shitter is,” remarked independent journalist Aaron Rupar on Bluesky.
Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman who has become a critic of Trump, ripped the president for displaying such tone deafness in the middle of a federal government shutdown.
“Government still shutdown, Americans not getting paid, food assistance for low-income families and children about to be cut off, and this is what he cares about,” he wrote on X. “He’s a psychopath, humanly incapable of caring about anyone or anything but himself.”
Don Moynihan, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, expressed extreme skepticism that the White House bathroom during Abraham Lincoln’s tenure was decked out in marble and gold.
“Fact check based on no research but with a high degree of confidence: This is not the marble that was originally in the Lincoln Bedroom,” he wrote. “It is more likely to the be retrieved from a Trump casino before it was demolished.”
Fashion critic Derek Guy, meanwhile, mostly left politics out of his criticisms of the remodeled bathroom, instead simply observing that “White House renovations are currently being spearheaded by someone with famously bad interior design taste.”
Earlier this month, Trump sparked outrage when he demolished the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a massive White House ballroom financed by donations from some of America’s wealthiest corporations—including several with government contracts and interests in deregulation—such as Apple, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, and Palantir.
Trump says his mega MAGA ballroom won't cost voters a dime. Here's why that's a lie
Dean Baker,
Alexander Willis
November 1, 2025
RAW STORY
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., October 31, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
As 42 million Americans missed their first food assistance payment Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown, President Trump attended a Great Gatsby–themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort — sparking outrage from critics who described the event as ‘tone deaf.”
“Trump and Rubio at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party, on day 31 of the shutdown,” wrote Danny Kemp, the White House correspondent for AFP, in a social media post on X Friday night. “Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody,’ we’re told.”
Critics couldn’t help but point out the irony of the theming of the party, based on the 1925 novel that offers a sharp critique of social and economic inequality seen during the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, which was fraught with corporate and government corruption.
“This is truly perfect, they were cosplaying the Great Gatsby, while we're in a shutdown and people are losing their SNAP benefits and health benefits,” wrote X user “MFT Guy Has Thoughts,” a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party who’s amassed more than 4,300 followers. “I don't think you could script it better.”
“Peak level tone deaf,” wrote another X user, “AJL,” who says they’re a lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. “And no GOP Fox viewer will even know.”
Trump has frequently been criticized for either throwing lavish parties or making remarks critics have labeled as “tone deaf” given current events, with the most recent instance being less than 24 hours before his Halloween party, where he boasted online about an expensive refurbishing of a White House bathroom, just hours before 42 millions Americans would lose federal food assistance.
More than 12% of the U.S. population receives food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, including 16 million children. The Trump administration has also refused to tap into a pool of around $6 billion in emergency funds specifically earmarked for programs like SNAP to ensure Americans receive food assistance, a decision that frustrated a federal judge.
With Food Aid Suspended for Millions of Families, Trump Brags of ‘Statuary Marble’ Bathroom Makeover
“He’s a psychopath, humanly incapable of caring about anyone or anything but himself,” one critic said of Trump.
The bathroom adjacent to the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom is seen after being remodeled by President Donald Trump.
(Image via Truth Social)
Brad Reed
Oct 31, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
As millions of families across the US are about to lose their access to food aid over the weekend, President Donald Trump on Friday decided to show off photos of a White House bathroom that he boasted had been refurbished in “highly polished, statuary marble.”
Trump posted photos of the bathroom on his Truth Social platform, and he explained that he decided to remodel it because he was dissatisfied with the “art deco green tile style” that had been implemented during a previous renovation, which he described as “totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.”
States in Emergency Mode as Trump GOP Refuses to Fund Food Aid for Poor Americans
Millions of US Families Could Soon Go Hungry Thanks to Trump-GOP Government Shutdown
“I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble,” Trump continued. “This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
Trump’s critics were quick to pan the remodeled bathroom, especially since it came at a time when Americans are suffering from numerous policies the president and the Republican Party are enacting, including tariffs that are raising the cost of food and clothing; expiring subsidies for Americans who buy health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges; and cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) programs in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Sure, you might not be able to eat or go to the doctor, but check out how nice Trump’s new marble shitter is,” remarked independent journalist Aaron Rupar on Bluesky.
Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman who has become a critic of Trump, ripped the president for displaying such tone deafness in the middle of a federal government shutdown.
“Government still shutdown, Americans not getting paid, food assistance for low-income families and children about to be cut off, and this is what he cares about,” he wrote on X. “He’s a psychopath, humanly incapable of caring about anyone or anything but himself.”
Don Moynihan, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, expressed extreme skepticism that the White House bathroom during Abraham Lincoln’s tenure was decked out in marble and gold.
“Fact check based on no research but with a high degree of confidence: This is not the marble that was originally in the Lincoln Bedroom,” he wrote. “It is more likely to the be retrieved from a Trump casino before it was demolished.”
Fashion critic Derek Guy, meanwhile, mostly left politics out of his criticisms of the remodeled bathroom, instead simply observing that “White House renovations are currently being spearheaded by someone with famously bad interior design taste.”
Earlier this month, Trump sparked outrage when he demolished the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a massive White House ballroom financed by donations from some of America’s wealthiest corporations—including several with government contracts and interests in deregulation—such as Apple, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, and Palantir.
Trump says his mega MAGA ballroom won't cost voters a dime. Here's why that's a lie
Dean Baker,
Common Dreams
October 31, 2025
A demolition crew takes apart the East Wing of the White House. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Donald Trump and his Republican sycophants have been busy telling us that we shouldn’t be bothered by Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing and his plans for a now $350 million ballroom. (The price tag keeps rising, it had been $200 million.)
While many of us were upset about Trump’s destruction of a historic landmark with zero consultation from anyone, the consolation is supposed to be that taxpayers are not footing the bill. Trump says he is raising the money from his friends and corporate sponsors.
Apparently, we are supposed to be relieved that people seeking favors from Trump are paying for the ballroom rather than taxpayer dollars. As David Dayen pointed out in a piece in The American Prospect, these contributions are likely to prove very costly to the American people.
Dayen goes through the public list of donors (some are anonymous) and found off the bat the big tech companies, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon. These companies have all sorts of occasion to seek government contracts and regulatory favors from a Trump administration that has openly said it favors its friends in such matters.
The list includes many other companies looking for favors, such as Hewlett Packard and Union Pacific, both looking for regulatory approval on major mergers. And then there are crypto folks who always want more love from Trump as they expand their scams.
This naked corruption is the biggest cost to the public from Trump’s big ballroom, but it is not the only one. If we’re only concerned about the budgetary impact, it’s important to remember that taxpayers pay a price for the “generosity” of rich people. They deduct their contributions from their taxable income.
The current top tax rate is roughly 40 percent. (This includes the Medicare tax, which applies to all income of rich people.) If the full $350 million were coming from individuals, this means that we would be getting $140 million less in taxes from them because of their contributions to Trump’s mega ballroom.
From a straight budgetary perspective, the public would be better off if Trump built something more tasteful in the $100-$140 million range, using taxpayer dollars, than the mega MAGA monstrosity he is actually attaching to the White House. (What will this cost to demolish?)
In fairness, many of Trump’s contributions come from corporations who are only taxed at a 21 percent rate. Also, it’s likely that some of Trump’s contributors cheat, and don’t pay any taxes anyhow, so the deduction doesn’t mean anything to them. But none of us should think that just because the ballroom is paid for by contributions, it doesn’t cost the government anything.
October 31, 2025
A demolition crew takes apart the East Wing of the White House. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Donald Trump and his Republican sycophants have been busy telling us that we shouldn’t be bothered by Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing and his plans for a now $350 million ballroom. (The price tag keeps rising, it had been $200 million.)
While many of us were upset about Trump’s destruction of a historic landmark with zero consultation from anyone, the consolation is supposed to be that taxpayers are not footing the bill. Trump says he is raising the money from his friends and corporate sponsors.
Apparently, we are supposed to be relieved that people seeking favors from Trump are paying for the ballroom rather than taxpayer dollars. As David Dayen pointed out in a piece in The American Prospect, these contributions are likely to prove very costly to the American people.
Dayen goes through the public list of donors (some are anonymous) and found off the bat the big tech companies, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon. These companies have all sorts of occasion to seek government contracts and regulatory favors from a Trump administration that has openly said it favors its friends in such matters.
The list includes many other companies looking for favors, such as Hewlett Packard and Union Pacific, both looking for regulatory approval on major mergers. And then there are crypto folks who always want more love from Trump as they expand their scams.
This naked corruption is the biggest cost to the public from Trump’s big ballroom, but it is not the only one. If we’re only concerned about the budgetary impact, it’s important to remember that taxpayers pay a price for the “generosity” of rich people. They deduct their contributions from their taxable income.
The current top tax rate is roughly 40 percent. (This includes the Medicare tax, which applies to all income of rich people.) If the full $350 million were coming from individuals, this means that we would be getting $140 million less in taxes from them because of their contributions to Trump’s mega ballroom.
From a straight budgetary perspective, the public would be better off if Trump built something more tasteful in the $100-$140 million range, using taxpayer dollars, than the mega MAGA monstrosity he is actually attaching to the White House. (What will this cost to demolish?)
In fairness, many of Trump’s contributions come from corporations who are only taxed at a 21 percent rate. Also, it’s likely that some of Trump’s contributors cheat, and don’t pay any taxes anyhow, so the deduction doesn’t mean anything to them. But none of us should think that just because the ballroom is paid for by contributions, it doesn’t cost the government anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment