Trump, Melania Host White House Halloween Amid Shutdown

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania hosted the White House’s annual Halloween celebration on the South Lawn and South Portico on Oct. 30, 2025, greeting trick-or-treaters, signing autographs and posing for photos as the U.S. Air Force Strolling Strings played “Thriller.” The couple handed out full-size Hershey’s bars and Twizzlers in Presidential Seal boxes provided by the National Confectioners Association to hundreds of costumed children, and the International Fresh Produce Association supplied 7,500 apples and said it would donate the pumpkins used to DC Central Kitchen after the event. Guests included military, law‑enforcement, foster and adoptive families and administration staffers’ children. The celebration took place hours after Mr. Trump returned from a multi-country Asia trip and unfolded amid a domestic government shutdown that drew criticism about timing and food‑security concerns. Media coverage noted visible White House construction related to a proposed new ballroom, personal moments such as the president patting a child’s head with a candy bar, and reporting that tariffs have had financial impacts on candy suppliers such as Hershey.