Trump's Agriculture Secretary Sparks Outrage Over Overtly Racist Halloween Post

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sparked backlash over the weekend after posting a racist image of a mock Spirit Halloween costume of a "SNAP fraudster."

Rollins' post appeared to allude to the Trump administration’s efforts to identify and eliminate what it describes as waste, fraud, and abuse in government assistance programs.

But portraying a Black man as a "SNAP Fraudster" draws on a long history of racist stereotypes promoted by conservative politicians, dating back at least to Republican President Ronald Reagan's notorious "welfare queen" rhetoric.

She wrote:

“Some costumes come with a price tag. This one comes with a prison sentence. To anyone stealing from American taxpayers: The tricks are over. The treats are running out. Happy Halloween!”

You can see her post and the image below.

@SecRollins/X

The Trump administration has largely slashed SNAP benefits and made them even more difficult for those in need to access. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump gave a rambling nearly two-hour speech in the House of Representatives and at one point claimed to have "lifted" a "record" number of Americans off SNAP.

Rollins said during an interview with Newsmax last year that the Trump administration will require millions of recipients to reapply for the SNAP benefits they were denied as part of an effort to crack down on "fraud."

Rollins said she plans to "have everyone reapply for their benefits, make sure that everyone that's taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through ... food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can't survive without it."

These tests are not an indication that people have been "lifted" off food stamps; Trump is lying about the fact that Republicans kicked people off food stamps without an alternative and that many people are still suffering now that they've placed bureaucratic hurdles in place.

Rollins was swiftly called out.

Rollins' post came just days after the White House was criticized for sharing an AI-generated image of a pumpkin with a racist Mexican stereotype carved into it to attack Democrats just days before Americans head to the polls.

The image shows a pumpkin with a sombrero carved in it and is captioned “Spooky szn is here,” per the post the White House shared via its official X account.

The White House has been criticized for similar racist posts attacking Mexicans and other Hispanics. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded after the White House marked Cinco de Mayo this year by sharing a racist AI-generated meme of him and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrating the holiday.

In the image, the two men are depicted seated at a table near the border, wearing sombreros and raising margaritas in a toast, with a sign placed in front of them that reads: “I LOVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.”