Copyright timesnownews
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a lively Halloween celebration at the White House, welcoming costumed guests, including children dressed as the couple, on Thursday night. Celebrations started as he and the first lady emerged on the South Lawn in the evening to an orchestral version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. But neither donned a costume. Trump wore a blue suit and red tie with a red 'USA' cap, and his wife was in a brown coat over an orange dress. The couple handed out full-sized Hershey bars and Twizzlers in boxes with the presidential seal to a line of children and their parents that stretched down the driveway. While temporary walls obscured the view of the construction of Trump's new White House ballroom, a parked bulldozer could still be seen. "It's a long line," Trump said. "It's almost as big as the ballroom." Hundreds of children, tiny toddlers up to kids in their early teens, came dressed as Spider-Man and Captain America, ballerinas, princesses, and leprechauns. Two boys wore suits and Trump hats like the president, while a girl with them wore a white coat over a dress like the first lady. Celebrations amid US shutdown The White House tradition went ahead despite Trump's return only six hours earlier from a six-day Asia trip that took him to Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and amid a government shutdown in its 30th day. Trump has called for the government to reopen, but congressional Democrats are demanding an extension of expiring tax credits that have helped millions of people afford health insurance. Despite the shutdown however, the White House exterior featured dozens of decorations resembling large autumn leaves and fall flowers like orange and red mums. The stairs leading to its balcony were crowded with carved pumpkins. Among the children attending the Halloween party were those of members of the military and White House staffers. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, came with her young son dressed as a pumpkin. Katie Miller, a former Trump administration aide, was dressed as a skeleton, while her husband, Stephen, Trump's deputy White House chief of staff, wore only a business suit. Several parents had 'USA' caps like Trump. (With AP inputs)
