In Donald Trump‘s Great America, nothing says public service like a weekend at a resort while families wait for their groceries. Right after he blocked SNAP payments for 42 million Americans, the president’s private jet landed in Mar-a-Lago.
The Supreme Court’s emergency order on SNAP is a victory for Trump, since starving millions counts as one for him. On Nov. 8, the Court temporarily blocked a lower court’s order requiring the administration to release full November SNAP payments to roughly 42 million Americans. All these people rely on food assistance during the record-long government shutdown, but the Trump administration has been begging for a freeze on the payments.
The White House lawyers called the judge’s mandate “an overreach of judicial authority and “fiscally irresponsible.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that only partial benefits would go out “until further legal clarification,” leaving millions of families unsure how to buy food. Trump, meanwhile, was photographed arriving at his Palm Beach resort in a tuxedo. He boarded Air Force One for Mar-a-Lago while his administration was fighting for a stay on the order.
According to reporters, a jewelry auction and golf weekend were scheduled for the same evening at Mar-a-Lago. But for a president who has turned the phrase “America First” into a punch line, he’s avoiding doing anything that would reaffirm it. Trump didn’t just delay payments; he asked the Supreme Court to delay the order that guaranteed full SNAP disbursements. His lawyers argued that “alternative funds” weren’t available, even though the White House could have issued contingency payments if it chose to.
The administration opted for litigation and luxury for themselves while keeping all citizens in scarcity. The symbolism hasn’t been lost on anyone. “Let them eat cake,” wrote a user on X, taunting, comparing Trump to Marie Antoinette. Another fumed: “The sitting president of the United States is currently dining on filet mignon while suing federal courts to make sure his own voters can’t eat.” The criticism poured in from the left, the center, and even some conservatives.
“No food for hungry children! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to eat filet mignon with a bunch of rich Florida weirdos.” Others mocked the sheer cruelty of timing, asking, “Does the hunger get suspended too?” and “He’s humanly incapable of empathy.” The SNAP battle is not about policy; it’s about survival. Every delayed dollar translates to an empty dinner table, yet Trump seems to view hunger as a political issue, not a moral one.
While there’s disbelief at how tone-deaf the move was, it isn’t really a surprise at this point. Trump was busy flaunting his new bathroom fittings when SNAP benefits were stopped. Now, the second time it happened, Trump has lined up for another tee-off.
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