President Donald Trump continued to travel during a federal shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, taking a late‑October swing through Malaysia, Japan and South Korea and spending Halloween weekend at Mar‑a‑Lago, even as millions of Americans faced missed paychecks and threatened food assistance.
The government shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass new funding, and it remains unresolved in early November. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed or working without pay, and key programs have faced disruptions. Analysts also warned of mounting risks to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the stalemate persisted into November. (reuters.com)
Against that backdrop, Trump spent part of late October abroad and part in Florida. He attended an Asia swing that included Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, then returned to Florida for the Halloween weekend at Mar‑a‑Lago, where he was seen at a Gatsby‑themed party on October 31. (reuters.com)
In Kuala Lumpur on October 26, Trump was welcomed with a formal ceremony that included performers; video and reporting showed him briefly joining dancers on the red carpet. The visit coincided with announcements of multiple trade agreements and a ceasefire accord signed by Thailand and Cambodia on the ASEAN summit sidelines. (reuters.com)
Trump then traveled to Tokyo for meetings with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi before heading on to South Korea, where the White House and Beijing confirmed plans for a Trump–Xi meeting. (reuters.com)
Earlier in October, Trump also flew to the Middle East as ceasefire diplomacy advanced in the Gaza war. He visited Israel and then attended a leaders’ summit in Sharm el‑Sheikh, Egypt, where he spoke at the signing of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement involving Israel and Hamas. Public broadcasters and wire services documented the events and imagery from the summit. (pbs.org)
Politically, the White House has blamed Democrats for the impasse, echoing Trump’s own remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One in mid‑October in which he said Democrats were “out of control” and had “lost their minds.” Vice President J.D. Vance has framed the standoff as “hostage‑taking,” adding that Republicans needed a handful of additional Democratic votes to advance the GOP‑backed stopgap bill in the Senate. (presidency.ucsb.edu)
On Capitol Hill, the House stayed out of session for much of October while the Senate repeatedly tried—and failed—to advance a short‑term funding measure. By October 28, the Senate had held 13 unsuccessful procedural votes on the House‑passed bill; Republicans said they still needed five more Democrats to reach the 60‑vote threshold. (goodmorningamerica.com)
Past shutdowns saw presidents curtail travel. In 1995, President Bill Clinton canceled a Japan trip during a funding crisis to remain in Washington. In 2013, President Barack Obama canceled an Asia tour for the same reason. And during the 35‑day shutdown of 2018–2019, Trump canceled his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. (washingtonpost.com)
Administration allies counter that Trump has continued governing while on the road and point to his public schedule and negotiations from abroad, even as critics fault the optics of travel and private events during a prolonged shutdown. (apnews.com)
The shutdown’s tangible effects continue to ripple: federal workers’ paychecks have been delayed, travel has been strained by staffing gaps, and SNAP funding faced a November 1 cutoff without new appropriations, potentially affecting tens of millions of recipients. (bipartisanpolicy.org)
