School Principal's Trump Costume Divides Morris County Town

ROCKAWAY, NJ — A principal who dressed as President Donald Trump for "Celebrity Day" last month has sparked outrage in one Morris County town.

Michael McGovern, the principal of Catherine A. Dwyer elementary school, dressed as President Donald Trump for "Celebrity Day" on Feb. 28. A photo of McGovern wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat and tie, flashing two thumbs-up, was circulated by parents via social media and swiftly sparked an ongoing debate.

Shortly after the photo was seen throughout the community, McGovern issued a letter to the school community. The principal said the costume was not intended to be a political statement.

"What transpired during Celebrity Day stemmed from student interaction throughout the day. My original attire reflected my support for the New York Rangers, and my second change was made in response to the enthusiasm and engagement of our students," McGovern said in his letter. "At no point was there any intention to make a political statement."

However, the letter is not quelling impassioned reactions from some Rockaway community members.

"If you read the comments that were in the newspapers, it's egregious. Over 800 of them, the first [of which] said he needs to be fired on the spot," said Stacey Gregg in her public comments to the Rockaway Township Council on Tuesday.

"But then to have a principal [dig] his feet in to his standard rather than say 'I'm sorry, I was wrong, I should not have done it, it was a moment of lapse,' [and] he blamed it on the children? We have serious problems in our school," she added.

"Its a racist hat," Gregg concluded, prompting another council meeting attendee to direct their own comments at Gregg. Words were briefly exchanged between the two before the council issued a warning.

McGovern did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.