The South Lawn of the White House transformed into a festive wonderland on Thursday evening as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted their annual Halloween trick-or-treat event, welcoming hundreds of families.

Fresh from a high-stakes trip to Asia, Trump greeted a parade of kids dressed as superheroes, ballerinas, and even miniature Trump lookalikes while handing out commemorative candies along the South Drive.

According to the White House, the event began around 4 p.m. and drew families of service members, law enforcement officers, foster and adoptive households, and staff with their children. The Air Force Strolling Strings Band performed Halloween classics as jack-o’-lanterns lined the grand staircase and autumn leaves cascaded from the South Portico.

Earlier in the week, Melania Trump had unveiled the decorations on social media, showing carved pumpkins and a prominent “Halloween 2025” sign. Doctored images quickly went viral across social media, with many viewers having to pause and check for AI or Photoshop manipulation.

X User Dom_Lucre posted a fake photo with the caption, “The White House Halloween decorations just got leaked to the public. A giant inflatable JD Vance can be spotted posted in front,” which has garnered over 455,000 views as of press time.

What began as a routine evening of trick-or-treaters quickly sparked a wave of online buzz, with several clips capturing the Trumps’ funny interactions.

One standout moment showed Trump recreating a meme from his 2019 Halloween event: placing a candy bar atop the helmet of a child dressed as DJ ‘Marshmello’.

“PART TWO: President Trump just put a candy bar on a trick-or-treaters head AGAIN,”  Commentator Benny Johnson posted to X after seeing the meme recreated.

First Lady Melania Trump had a viral “mom ” moment of her own, taking the time to comfort an anxious young girl in line.

“Just look at this photo. This is so beautiful. When this young child was in tears, frightened by Halloween decorations, First Lady Melania Trump got down on her level to comfort her. This is the real Melania, a mother protecting a child at her core,” Influencer Bo Loudon wrote in a caption of the moment.

Other viral snippets included a high-five exchange between the President and a pint-sized Trump lookalike, complete with a mini blue suit and MAGA cap, as well as a nearby girl channeling Melania’s iconic white trench coat style.

The evening offered a lighthearted pause for the First Couple amid a tense political season, continuing a White House Halloween tradition that dates back to the Eisenhower administration.