Trump Attends Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party as Himself; Vance Family Dresses as Hogwarts Characters

President Donald Trump marked Halloween at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, telling guests at his party that he had come dressed as himself. Trump joked that he had spent nine hours getting ready, then said he only had ten minutes and so came as Donald Trump. The party had a jungle theme. Trump was described as happy to be off the campaign trail.

Elsewhere, Vice President JD Vance turned his home into Hogwarts from the Harry Potter stories and dressed as Dumbledore. His baby son Alec dressed as Dobby the House Elf, and his eldest son, Ewan, dressed as Harry Potter. Vance and his wife, Usha, have two other children, who wore different costumes. Vance posted a family photo and a video on social media in which he introduced himself as Vice President Dumbledore, stood with little Dobby the Elf and wished viewers a happy Halloween. He told them to have fun, be safe and eat a lot of candy.

The Daily Mail, on the right, leads with the Vance family and its Harry Potter costumes, and its headline calls Alec adorable and mentions the Dumbledore wig. Trump comes second in that story, where his joke about his costume and the nine hours of preparation is quoted. The Daily Mail places Trump's party in the context of his being off the campaign trail. The New York Times, on the left, centers only on Trump. Its headline quotes his line about coming as himself and calls the event a luxury Halloween at Mar-a-Lago. Its excerpt stresses the jungle theme and presents his costume as a recognizable figure. Based on the material provided, the Times does not mention the Vance family, and the Daily Mail does not describe the luxury or the jungle theme. Both agree on the central fact that Trump went as himself. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing.