President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted a younger constituency than normal on Thursday during a White House event where the two handed out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters.
A line of children and young teens accompanied by their parents made their way across the White House grounds to speak to the president and first lady, receive full-size candy bars, and have autographs signed.
Military families, law enforcement families, foster and adoptive families, and administration officials with children were among the guests.
Children dressed as everything from dinosaurs to astronauts and princesses, and ranged from infants carried by their parents to pre-K children who walked up to the president and first lady on their own. The oldest trick-or-treaters were young teenagers.
Occasionally, the two paused to speak to a child or their parents. Members of the press were too far away to make out what was said.
Jack-o'-lanterns and other Halloween-themed decorations were set up on the White House’s South Lawn and the South Portico, and a variety of spooky Halloween music played over loudspeakers.
The first lady decorated the State Dining Room with skeletons hung from wall lights, jack-o'-lanterns, and shocks of dried corn.
The event was a sharp contrast to Trump’s last White House Halloween celebration in 2020, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when children wore masks and social distancing was in place.
Modern Halloween festivities at the White House have been a tradition since the 1960s, when they were started by President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie Kennedy—whose White House was dubbed “Camelot” as a reflection of Americans’ perception of the young first family.
Photos of the couple’s children crashing into the Oval Office in their Halloween costumes were popular and reflected the first time that the increasingly popular modern Halloween festivities—including candy, costumes, and trick-or-treating—had come to the White House.
Since that time, trick-or-treaters have been welcomed onto the White House grounds by the president and first lady. The White House has also historically thrown private Halloween parties for staff and invited guests.
This year’s Halloween celebration at the White House comes after Trump returned from a marathon tour of Southeast Asia.
During the trip, he met with foreign leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. He also undertook pivotal trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
