US Deficit, Billionaire Ghost Haunt Bronx Halloween Parade
THE BRONX, N.Y. — Something with a $2.0 trillion price tag drifted down the Grand Concourse last night, trailing fog, a dozen children and, by several accounts, a faint smell of interest payments.
The apparition was a costume of the federal budget deficit, a six-foot cardboard tube worn by Dana Whitcombe, 34, an accountant from Mott Haven. The Congressional Budget Office put the fiscal 2026 deficit at $2.0 trillion, which is $218 billion more than the year before.
“It keeps rising from the grave and nobody has managed to bury it,” Whitcombe said from inside the tube. “I asked a nearby ghost for help. He was busy counting.”
The ghost in question was Mister Pell, 41, a teacher from Fordham, who wore a bedsheet covered in zeros to represent the world’s richest man. Forbes estimated that fortune at $936 billion this month. Pell said he ran out of sheet.
“The number only goes up,” Pell said. “So does the other one. They’ve been through a lot together.”
A third costume, a cardboard “Department of Efficiency,” announced it would remove $2 trillion in candy from the block. By the end of the route it projected savings of $150 billion in candy, and by the end of the night it was seen sharing a bag of pretzels with the deficit. Its wearer, a 29-year-old paralegal who asked not to be named, said the candy supply “was harder to cut than expected.”
Near City Island Road, a cardboard robot labeled “AI” drew mixed reviews. Children aged 6 to 9 lined up to meet it. Several parents kept their distance. One poll this year found that only 26 percent of voters view the technology positively, though the robot’s approval among trick-or-treaters was reported as “high.”
Residents also reported sightings of a “Midterm Zombie,” a figure in gray face paint who handed out campaign flyers and showed no sign of stopping before Election Day, Nov. 3.
A Kingsbridge living room hosted a screening of a documentary about a tech billionaire. At 235 minutes, the film ran longer than the entire trick-or-treat route, according to a guest who left at the intermission to collect more candy.
Candy supplies held out for most of the evening, though one building on Arthur Avenue reported running low on full-size bars by midnight and issued what the resident called “an emergency rationing plan.”
“At least the candy deficit is something we can fix,” said neighbor Pete Boo, 52, dropping a handful into a pillowcase. “By next Halloween, anyway.”
The Midterm Zombie could not be reached for comment. It was still handing out flyers.
- The deficit: The Congressional Budget Office reported a $2.0 trillion federal deficit for fiscal 2026, up $218 billion from fiscal 2025. Spending rose $386 billion (6 percent) and revenue rose $169 billion (3%). Debt held by the public stood at $32.4 trillion.
- The richest man: Forbes put Elon Musk’s net worth at $936 billion as of Oct. 1, 2026.
- DOGE: Musk said before the 2024 election that his Department of Government Efficiency could cut at least $2 trillion. He later said he expected $150 billion in savings for fiscal 2026. A DOGE staffer acknowledged in a deposition that the agency did not reduce the federal deficit.
- The film: “Musk,” directed by Alex Gibney, runs about 235 minutes. It opened in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 9, with a nationwide expansion to follow. Musk did not participate, and his attorney sent the filmmakers a legal notice letter after the Venice premiere.
- AI and the midterms: The pro-industry super PAC Leading the Future says it and its affiliates have raised more than $140 million. Public First, which backs more regulation, has received at least $20 million from Anthropic, the maker of Claude. One poll found 26% of voters view AI positively.
- Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Sources: Congressional Budget Office and American Action Forum (deficit); Forbes (net worth); Reuters, Boston Globe and Yahoo Finance (DOGE); TheWrap and Deadline coverage (film); Axios, NBC News and GZERO (AI politics).