President Donald Trump has come under fire after he hosted a "Great Gatsby"-themed Halloween party just hours before millions of Americans lost their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The Friday night fête at Mar-a-Lago was themed "A little party never killed nobody,” according to the White House, referencing the song from the 2013 film adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
Guests were seen wearing 1920s attire and there were hosts in flapper attire greeting the invitees, which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, and Tiffany Trump's husband Michael Boulos.
Trump did not deliver remarks when reporters were in the room.
Fitzgerald's 1925 novel has been celebrated by literary scholars for years for its depiction of the wealth and class divisions in the country that took place during the 1920s.
Several Democrats noted the symbolism and criticized the president for throwing the bash while the government shutdown continues.
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin accused Trump of not caring about Americans who could go without SNAP benefits because of the shutdown.
"Last night, Trump made it even clearer that he doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself and his wealthy friends," he said in a statement.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy reshared a photo from the party on his social media and commented, "The way he rubs his inhumanity in Americans' face never ceases to stun me."
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the critics, arguing in a statement Saturday, "These Democrats are full of it."
"President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government, which they could do at any time," she added.
A federal judge in Rhode Island temporarily ordered the Trump administration on Friday to continue SNAP funding, following a lawsuit by several states. Another judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration's attempt to suspend SNAP funding is "unlawful," but declined to immediately order that the program be funded.
Trump said Friday that his administration's lawyers are not sure they have the legal authority to pay for SNAP during the government shutdown and said he has asked for clarity from the courts in the wake of two recent decisions.
"If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay," Trump said in a social media post.
Correction: This story has been updated to remove a reference to Jared Kushner being present, correcting initial pool accounts from the day of the event.
