Donald Trump, talking on the phone in the presidential helicopter that takes him to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Pictured: Christopher M. Robinson, Donald Trump, Credit line: Luis M. Alvarez / AP / Profimedia
Pictures of the president were shared on social media on Friday by guests to the lavish event, which included a three-course menu: filet of beef, truffle dauphinoise, seared scallops and a trio of desserts, including “Trump chocolate cake,” The Independent writes.
President Donald Trump attended his second extravagant party at Mar-a-Lago in the past week as tens of thousands of federal workers remain without pay, forcing some of them to turn to food banks amid the longest government shutdown in history.
Trump was seen dining at a table surrounded by MAGA supporters and posing with thumbs up next to women in ball gowns. The event also included ice sculptures and an opera performance.
Around the same time on Friday, the Trump administration was allowed to continue only partially funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after a Supreme Court order blocked a court ruling that had forced the government to fully fund SNAP, also known as food stamps.
SNAP funds, which are distributed monthly to states by the federal government, support the nation's largest food program. The funding freeze has caused about 42 million Americans who rely on the program to face delays in essential payments.
Tens of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or forced into unpaid work, with many longtime civil servants turning to food banks, according to reports.
“I was a grant administrator in the federal government providing assistance, and now I'm standing in line asking for help,” federal official Anthony Speight told NBC News while attending a food bank in Washington, DC, adding that he “never thought” he'd be put in this position.
Trump also threw a lavish Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party last weekend, hours before the SNAP program initially lost its funding.
At that event, the president was photographed surrounded by guests in 1920s-style attire.
Trump's visit to Palm Beach comes after he asked senators to stay in Washington DC over the weekend to negotiate a deal to end the government shutdown, which is in its 39th day and longest on record.
“The United States Senate should not leave town until an agreement is reached to end the Democratic gridlock,” he wrote on Truth Social Friday. “If they can't come to an agreement, Republicans should end the filibuster IMMEDIATELY, and take care of our great American workers!”
As the president took off for Florida on Friday night, travel chaos was intensifying for millions of Americans.
More than 1,500 flights were canceled on Saturday and thousands more were delayed as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAVI) reduced air traffic at terminals across the country due to the government shutdown.
