While handing out candy to trick-or-treaters visiting the White House for Thursday’s Halloween celebration, President Donald Trump was confronted with a reminder of his own mortality: a TIME magazine cover featuring the photo taken immediately after his assassination attempt, which was presented to him by a child.
During the event, which was livestreamed, a small child can be seen handing Trump two glossy TIME covers: one featuring the photo from his 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennyslvania, and his 2024 Person of the Year cover.
As this exchange took place, the U.S. Air Force Strolling Strings band began playing the Game of Thrones theme song, adding to the moody atmosphere.
Trump, seemingly unsure of what to do with the images, held one up for display until an older man handed him a Sharpie, at which point he signed the first one and handed it back. He then held the Butler assassination attempt photo up for all the kids to see before signing that one, too.
The president and first lady were hosting the children of White House employees and other guests for the event, held just hours after Trump returned from his trip to Asia, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and spoke at the APEC CEO luncheon on Wednesday.
The couple greeted kids, who were given White House-branded Halloween bags, occasionally stopping to speak with them or their parents, although Axios noted that reporters were on the South Lawn and unable to hear the conversations.
Notable guests included Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and her husband and son, as well as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, his wife Katie and their children.
Neither Trump nor his wife were in costume themselves; Trump was in his standard blue suit and red ‘45-47’ hat while Melania wore a brown trench coat with holiday-appropriate orange accents.
Trick-or-treaters wore a variety of costumes, including two babies made up to look like Trump’s former workplace: a McDonald’s drive-thru.
The first lady came under fire after her office tweeted a photo of her Halloween decorations earlier on Thursday, which featured dozens of pumpkins lining the White House steps.
Social media users decried the decorations as being insensitive given the Trump administration’s refusal to utilize SNAP’s contingency reserve to ensure the 42 million Americans who rely on government assistance don’t go hungry during the shutdown.
“Instead of decorating with food, how about using it to give nutrition to the needy?” one X user wrote.
“Maybe less of this and more getting the government back open?” another suggested.
