In the novel "The Great Gatsby", wealth is shown a source of moral decay, dishonesty, and recklessness. Tom and Daisy Buchanan act with "vast carelessness," causing destruction and even death without ever facing consequences. Gatsby seeks wealth only in order to win Daisy and gain status, not as an outcome of hard work. The book ends in tragedy. Almost no one out of Gatsby's network of friends and connections shows up to his funeral. In the end, his wealth and status meant nothing. The narrator Nick is disgusted by the Buchanan's and excesses of the the wealthy and leaves for the Midwest.

On Halloween, the President held a Great Gatsby themed party at Mar-a-Lago. The mind reels at the tone deafness. Apparently he views the book as a how to manual instead of a warning.