Donald Trump said on Monday, as he kicked off the White House Easter Egg Roll for his second term: “We’re bringing religion back in America. We’re bringing a lot of things back, but religion is coming back to America. That’s why you see the kind of numbers that you see, the spirit and the kind of numbers that you see.”
The Easter Bunny and Melania Trump flanked Trump on the Blue Room balcony as he spoke at the annual event.
According to the president, approximately 40,000 people are expected to attend the White House Easter celebrations throughout the day.
The egg roll sponsored by the corporate world took place just hours after Pope Francis’ death was announced by the Vatican. He was 88.
Trump has ordered that flags be flown half-staff in honor of the late pontiff who died Easter Monday following a double pneumonia battle last month at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
Trump said, “I signed an executive order lowering all flags in our country to half-mast, including all state and federal flags. This is all done as a tribute to Pope Francis. So, I think he was good who worked hard. He loved the world, and it’s an honor to be able to do that for him.”
Later, he told reporters that he is unsure whether he will attend Francis’ funeral.
The Hill reported that children raced brightly colored eggs across the lawn with wooden spoons after Trump blew his starting whistle. Melania Trump also played hopscotch and later read “Bunny With a Big Heart” to the attendees.
According to the office of the First Lady, the White House sought sponsorships between $75,000 and $200,000 for various components. Amazon sponsored a Reading Nook, while Meta sponsored an “AI-powered photo-op” and YouTube sponsored a “Bunny Hop Stage”.
Many Trump officials were present, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Lavitt, Senior White House Aide Stephen Miller, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The Agriculture Department reported that the traditional event used over 30,000 eggs. This was, although the wholesale price of eggs nationwide increased by a few pennies in the week before Easter. The average wholesale price per dozen in the United States is currently $3.13.
Since 1878, the White House Easter Egg Roll has been held every year. The American Egg Board, which has sponsored the event for the last decade and participated in it for almost 50 years, donated 30,000 hand-dyed Easter eggs to the White House this year.
