Trump slammed for hosting Great Gatsby-themed party hours before millions of Americans lose food benefits

The shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans drags into a new month.

Millions of people in America could lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to resolve the matter.

As the government shutdown rumbled on, Mr Trump hosted a Halloween Party for his close allies.

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The lavish Mar-a-Lago festivities took place hours before the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which supports 42 million Americans, was cut.

Pictures from the 1920s-themed party show some of the world’s richest people dressed in Gilded Age outfits.

Its theme was described as “a little party never killed anybody” according to the White House, a reference to the 2013 film adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

Among attendees were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, their husbands, Jared Kushner and Michael Boulos and Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart.

The Great Gatsby, long celebrated by critics, is generally seen as a critique of the wealth and excess of 1920s America.

This irony was not lost on a number of high-profile democrats, who wasted no time slamming Mr Trump for hosting the party while millions lost their benefits.

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin shared pictures of the party and wrote: "Last night, Trump made it even clearer that he doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself and his wealthy friends.”

The White House dismissed criticism, with spokesperson Anna Kelly saying: "These Democrats are full of it."

"President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government, which they could do at any time.”

Following his party, Mr Trump sat down with 60 Minutes, where he suggested the government shutdown could continue for the foreseeable future.

He confirmed he will only negotiate the return of SNAP when the government is reopened.

Mr Trump's comments signal that the shutdown could continue to drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paycheques and there is uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who receive federal food aid will be able to access the assistance.

Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting that they need Mr Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.

The president said that Democrats "have lost their way" and predicted that they will eventually capitulate to Republicans.

"I think they have to," Mr Trump said. "And if they don't vote, it's their problem."

He also reiterated his pleas to Republican leaders to change senate rules and scrap the filibuster.

Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea since Mr Trump's first term, arguing that the rule requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections in the senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they are in the minority.

"Republicans have to get tougher," Mr Trump said in the CBS interview. "If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want."

With the two parties at a standstill, the shutdown, now in its 33rd day and approaching its sixth week, appears likely to become the longest in history.

The previous record was set in 2019, when Mr Trump demanded that congress give him money for a US-Mexico border wall.