But what about politicians wearing sombreros?

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Under Trump 2.0, colleges celebrate Halloween instead of warning against ‘offensive’ costumes

…. A keyword search for admonitions from campus leaders on offensive Halloween costumes this month came up empty, a stark contrast to trends from the past decade.

For many years, campus leaders made it their mission in October to warn students what not to wear, with “unacceptable costumes” including “wearing Native American headdresses, dressing up as a ‘Mexican’ by wearing a sombrero, dressing as a ‘geisha,’ any form of blackface.”

Students were chided against committing a “cultural appropriation” offense if the outfit did not originate from one’s own culture. 

Posters declaring “it’s a culture, not a costume” used to pepper quads nationwide, with special workshops hosted on campuses to hammer home the point.

For instance, Princeton University held its “Conversation Circles: Cultural Appropriation and Halloween” event in 2017, in which students learned about “the impact of cultural appropriation, Halloween, and why culture is not a costume.”

The University of South Indiana hosted a “Culture not Costumes” Halloween workshop that argued “clothing, symbols, music, art, religion, language, and social behavior” are all elements of cultural appropriation, warning students not to dress as “Pocahotties” and “sexy Indian Princesses” if they do not come from such cultures.

…. For 2025, The College Fix found one single university that chided students.

Michigan State University’s Inclusive Excellence and Impact division in September reposted a 2021 story that stated: “For many visible and invisible identities, Halloween summons more than ghouls and goblins. While most think of Halloween as a time to dress in costume and celebrate all things spooky, it can also become grounds for racist, sexist, ableist, culturally insensitive and biased behaviors.”

But far more prevalent this month are costume and decorating events, parties and contests, according to search results.

Asked to weigh in on the observation, higher education pundit Steve McGuire with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni told The College Fix: “Whether we are witnessing a real vibe shift is something only time will tell, but it is possible that the effort to micromanage things like student Halloween costumes is losing some of its cultural inertia. We can hope that people have grown weary of trying to live under the tyranny of Puritanical scrutiny.”

McGuire said he believes that other possible explanations could be “the removal of DEI staff and programs in many institutions, since these would have often been responsible for sending out messages policing such trivialities. At the same time, people might be simply keeping their hands down under the current administration.”

McGuire said under a different administration, things could circle back.

“While we might be enjoying a reprieve, it could be brief if colleges and universities refuse to acknowledge the need for significant reforms and undertake the hard work of turning themselves into true forums for diversity of thought and the free exchange of ideas,” he said.

Then, of course, we have a new group of the offended: