Donald Trump enjoys White House Easter tradition with family despite egg shortage
The White House’s traditional Easter event proceeded as normal with 30,000 eggs despite a national shortage.
President Donald Trump, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny, welcomed thousands of participants from the White House balcony before blowing their presidential whistles to start the first few races.
Wooden spoon-wielding children competed against each other to guide hard-boiled eggs dyed pink, blue, yellow or green across a patch of the lawn to a finish line. In some cases, eggs were lobbed into the air instead of rolled across the grass, and at least one wooden spoon went flying through the air.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The first couple also attending a station where kids wrote cards to military service members, and Mrs Trump later read “Bunny with a Big Heart” to an audience of children.
The donated 2500 dozen eggs were small and medium, not typically sold by retailers, so they will not further strain the supply or contribute to higher prices, according to event sponsor the American Egg Board.
The participants included some of Trump’s grandchildren — son Don Jr.’s children.
A special station promoting next year’s 250th anniversary of America’s founding provided opportunities to sign a mini-Declaration of Independence or dress up as Founding Fathers. The daylong event featured multiple activity stations, live performances and story times.
Trump gave a “special thank you” to his wife for her work organising the annual event.
“I also want to thank the National Park Service,” he said. “The job they do in making everything so beautiful and spiffy, and I’m very difficult when it comes to that. I will tell you, very very difficult. ... They have done an incredible job. You just have to look around and see”
“We feel like we need to take a moment to celebrate where we can, and you cannot have Easter without eggs. And you cannot have the White House Easter egg roll without real eggs,” Egg board CEO Metz said in an interview.
Trump also included topics unrelated to Easter in his brief remarks, like recruitment gains for the military and police and fire departments. He said religion “is coming back to America.”
The egg roll is one of the oldest White House traditions, dating to to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. He opened the lawn to children after Congress banned them from rolling eggs on the grounds of the Capitol.
