Air Force One flies low over the White House during Trump's Halloween party

A Halloween party on the South Lawn

On Thursday, 29 October, Donald Trump and Melania Trump hosted the traditional Halloween event for children on the South Lawn of the White House. The couple greeted young guests in costumes, handed out large chocolate bars signed by both of them and posed for photographs. The New York Post put attendance at about 6,000 people, a figure Super Express also reported. Children arrived dressed as Barbie, Batman, dinosaurs and American founding fathers, while the Trumps wore no costumes themselves. Melania Trump had announced the event on 26 October, and Super Express notes that the White House has hosted a Halloween gathering since 1958, when Mamie Eisenhower started it.

Guests included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer, along with families of military personnel, police officers, and foster and adoptive families. Decorations included pumpkins, autumn vines and an illuminated moon above the entrance. A US military band played music, including the theme from Ghostbusters, and Trump was reported to have swayed briefly to it. Trump also took part in the evening's entertainment by moving to the songs that were played.

Low passes over the White House

At about 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, Trump told members of the White House press pool that the jet would fly over the building.

“We have a tremendous number of young children there, so it'll be nice. It'll be a lot of fun.”

Air Force One, a military aircraft that carries that name only when the president is on board, flew over the White House twice, according to flight-tracking data cited by the Washington Post. Flight data reviewed by the Post put its altitude between 400 and 1,000 feet, or roughly 120 to 305 metres. Videos shared on social media showed the jet passing low over the building while Trump waved and children looked skyward. The White House shared a clip of the flyover with the caption:

“An epic Air Force One flyover at the White House for the trick-or-treaters!”

The timeline below sets out the key moments reported in the articles.

Notice, alarm and the aftermath

The DC Council criticised the flyover in a post on X, saying the notice had reached people only shortly before the jet appeared over the capital.

“This flyover provided just fifteen minutes' notice to anyone in downtown DC, at the Pentagon, or at National Airport.”

An AlertDC notification at 5:24 p.m. told people that the US military would conduct a flyover over the National Mall. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency had coordinated the flight, which caused a brief ground stop at Reagan National Airport. Residents who wrote on X described the sound as that of an ordinary airliner, and several said they had briefly feared a crash. One user said the aircraft seemed to be flying unusually low for a Boeing 747.

The Post noted that Washington still remembers the deadly 2025 crash near Reagan National Airport and the attacks of 11 September 2001, which gave the low pass added weight for some residents. The White House shared several videos of the flyover and appeared unaware of the reaction it caused. The flyover came five days before the midterm elections.