President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump celebrated the 148th edition of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday, with an expected attendance of between 30,000 and 50,000 people throughout the day.
The event, held on Easter Monday, had a strong patriotic character in honor of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, combining the traditions of the holiday with the spirit of the initiative known as "America 250".
Melania Trump was the main organizer and played an active role throughout the day: she read the children's story "Runaway Bunny" to the children in the Reading Nook of the Rose Garden and ended with a warm message: Happy Easter Monday... See you next year.
Before the event, the First Lady emphasized the special significance of this edition: "We are celebrating a very special Easter Egg Roll this year because it is the 250th birthday of this beautiful nation. Enjoy it, and I hope you have a wonderful day."
The activities included the traditional egg-and-spoon races, an egg hunt adapted for children with sensory needs, a creation station with artificial intelligence sponsored by Meta, an exhibition featuring 150 live chicks presented by the American Egg Board under the name "Hen to Home," and a photo session with "The Beast," the presidential car. Each family also received a commemorative wooden egg with printed signatures of Trump and Melania, a tradition started by Nancy Reagan in 1981.
Trump also had several memorable moments during his participation. While signing autographs for the children, he joked: "I can sign autographs for you, and tonight you can sell them for $25,000 on eBay". When a child told him, "Donald Trump, you are the best president," the leader replied without hesitation: "Thank you, I agree". He also humorously mentioned a girl present: "Carolina has zero interest in my autograph."
In his speech to attendees, Trump defended the use of real eggs for the event and recalled the pressures he faced at the beginning of his term: "It's hard to believe they didn't want me to ask for eggs for the Easter Egg Roll... They wanted me to use plastic. I said: 'I am not going to use plastic. We will sort it out'. In no time, prices went down... Today we have over 40,000 eggs supplied by all the major egg farmers." The president also took the opportunity to criticize his predecessor Joe Biden, stating that he was "unable to sign his name" and that he was followed by an autopen.
Trump did not overlook current political affairs even during the festivities: with the Easter Bunny by his side, he spoke about the situation with Iran and mentioned the rescue of two downed military pilots from the previous Friday. At the end of the event, he announced a press conference for one in the afternoon at the Oval Office.
The tradition of the Easter Egg Roll at the White House dates back to April 22, 1878, when President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the South Lawn to the children of Washington. This year's edition, the 148th, was particularly significant as it coincided with the 250th anniversary of the country's independence, making the celebration one of the most publicly visible events of Melania Trump's second term as First Lady.
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