White House Cracks Down on Trick-or-Treaters in Response to “Offensive Halloween Costumes”

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the “proliferation of offensive Halloween costumes” in a press conference about the holiday. 

“It is both offensive and unpatriotic for these costumes to be worn at all, let alone in public,” Leavitt said, in response to a viral Facebook post of a child wearing a Lorax costume. “Costumes like these, depicting our President as a fat, angry, balding creature, go against the Constitution, and are a danger to public safety.”

In addition, Leavitt threatened the use of force to prevent such costume-wearers from trick-or-treating, saying, “We will use necessary force to curtail these subversive displays. We will send the National Guard if we have to, to do routine costume inspections, even. Antifa must not be allowed to take over this truly American holiday.” 

The Facebook post in question, posted by Ohioan mom Justa Norma Personne, depicts her son, Inocen Personne, wearing a costume of the Lorax, from the classic Dr. Seuss story of the same name. 

“We recently watched The Lorax (2012) as a family, and it really resonated with Inocen. He’s a tree-hugger at heart, and no matter how much we tried to convince him of the value of money and material goods, all he wants to do is hug trees. So when he asked to be the Lorax for Halloween, there really was no changing his mind, no matter how cool the Onceler is. He got the costume, I posted it online to show my mom friends—which they loved, by the way—and now we’re getting death threats from middle-aged men from Alabama!” Justa Norma Personne said while showing The Spectator the piles of mailed and e-mailed messages from angry right-wingers. “I don’t even know if Inocen knows who Trump is, let alone what he thinks of him. I know that I don’t particularly care about the President. How could he?” she said in regard to her son’s accused political attack. “For Dr. Seuss’s sake, he’s four! All he does is—INOCEN PERSONNE! STOP LICKING THAT TREE!” 

Personne’s photos, initially posted solely in a local parents’ Facebook group, somehow ended up on Truth Social, President Donald Trump’s own social media platform. From there, the reposted image garnered hate and criticism for its seeming resemblance to the president.

“NO ONE GETS TO MOCK OUR PRESIDENT LIKE THAT!!! ORANGE HE MAY BE, BUT HE IS OUR BELOVED PRESIDENT AND OUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND DESERVES RESPECT!!!” Truth Social user @ilovemypreisdentdjt posted under the reposted image. 

“It sickens me to see Antifa force kids to desecrate our holy president’s image like this. I can’t believe this. Some people don’t deserve to be parents if all they do is woke indoctrination,” Truth Social user @lincolnwouldbemaga said, adding an AI-generated image of a crying child held captive by a masked Antifa soldier in their reply. 

The outrage on the social media platform managed to reach the president himself, with him making a post on Truth Social shortly after the image started trending. 

“The UTTER DISRESPECT of this Costume, the WORST Costume I have ever seen on Halloween, is APPALING! I have seen MANY MORE HANDSOME, CHARMING COSTUMES OF ME! They capture my Good Side very well, which This One DOES NOT! It is OFFENSIVE AND UPSETTING to see a Child dressed up as this FAT BALDING MOCKERY OF ME! Shame on the WOKE PARENTS OF THE RADICAL LEFT for making their Children do this!” the president declared on his social media platform. 

Later, in an interview with FOX News, the president would back Press Secretary Leavitt’s words from the press conference, saying he would, “give all [his] support to the brave patriots of ICE and the National Guard in making sure all Halloween costumes on the streets align with American identity and values.”

ICE and the National Guard have already been spotted in large numbers in many suburban neighborhoods across America, detaining and questioning trick-or-treaters for their choice in costumes. The detainees ranged from inflatable frogs to Peppa Pigs to Disney princesses, with little explanation given to them as to why they were detained.

Candee Baske, an eight-year-old dressed as Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin, was detained by ICE while trick-or-treating.

“These police-y guys came up to me and told me to come with them. Then they asked me if I knew anything about Iran’s nuclear program. I don’t even know where Iran is!” Baske said. “They made me stand in time-out for so long I could have outlived the Genie before I got to go back to trick-or-treating. They even took my candy basket!”

Pum Kim, a 13-year-old dressed as a piece of bacon, was also detained by ICE in the same neighborhood.

“They sprayed me with something, Pam Cooking Spray, I think, and tried to slip me away. When I asked what they were doing, they just angrily demanded to know what the meaning of my costume was and if I harbor any ill will against cops. Bacon’s just my favorite food, man!” the teenager claimed while rubbing cooking spray off his face. 

His friend, Gho Sty, dressed as a stack of waffles, was nearby when Kim was detained. 

“We tried to stop it, man. But they didn’t listen when we just said that we were a breakfast set. How can there be any ulterior motive in cooked pig meat and not-cake?” Sty explained, who was helping  Kim clean the cooking spray off his costume. 

“It’s scarier than the ghosts, vampires, and werewolves, what’s going on on the streets. We just want—I mean, they just want—lots of candy!” said Katty Kits, a mother of two young children in the same neighborhood. “I feel for that poor mom who got blasted on social media for her kid’s Lorax costume. I mean, horrible character choice aside, there’s something really wrong here if they think that a Dr. Seuss character is an attack on our leadership. What’s next, Thing One and Thing Two costumes are banned for being obedient sheeple?” 

The Personnes have received an outpouring of support from other groups online. Many praised the mother’s commitment to making sure her child grows up knowing peak cinema. Others donated to help her plant a safety perimeter around her house entirely out of Thneed Trees.

The White House has made no additional statements as to the actions of ICE against trick-or-treaters and the online attacks against the Personne family. Despite backlash from many families, ICE and the National Guard have yet to be called off. 

While the holiday’s spooky festivities have continued, many are beginning to wonder if it is worth the risk of offending our dear leader. Despite this, the tricks will keep on coming, and the treats will keep on treating, as candy motivates people more than anyone’s hurt feelings.