White House Easter Egg Roll gets Big Tech sponsors
Tech giants that helped pay for President Trump's inauguration are among the sponsors of this year's Easter Egg Roll on the lawn of the White House.
The list includes Amazon and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, according to a news release from Melania Trump's office. The companies donated $1 million each to Trump's swearing-in festivities as they sought to mend relations in his second term after high-profile clashes in his first.
The Easter Egg Roll has been privately funded for years, CNN reported. But the administration's decision to seek corporate sponsors for the event, scheduled for Monday, is a first.
CNN reported in March that sponsorship costs range from $75,000 to $200,000. In exchange, sponsors receive naming rights, branded signage and Easter baskets and mentions by the Trump administration in press releases and on social media. The White House has said the revenue will go to the nonprofit White House Historical Association.
Richard Painter, an attorney who served as President George W. Bush's chief counsel on ethics, told CNN the concept of corporate sponsorships "would have been vetoed in about 30 seconds in my day."
"We're not running this like a football stadium where you get all logos all over the place for kicking in money," CNN quoted Painter as saying.
YouTube, another participant in this year's event, said its involvement has become "an annual tradition," NPR reported. The platform is partnering on a "Bunny Hop Stage," according to the news release.
Amazon and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, didn't respond to requests for comment, NPR reported. The news release listed a "Reading Nook," a "Family Photo Opportunity Celebrating Reading," courtesy of Amazon, and an "AI-Powered Experience and Photo Opportunity," courtesy of Meta. The event also features a 'Ringing of the Bell Photo Opportunity, courtesy of the New York Stock Exchange.'
The American Egg Board is supplying 30,000 hard-boiled eggs and a 'Garden Café for Tasty Treats," CNN reported. Other participants include The Toy Association, the International Fresh Produce Association, the National Confectioners Association, GALA and Signature Brands LLC.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

16 minutes ago
Trump administration hit with second lawsuit over restrictions on asylum access
McALLEN, Texas -- Immigration advocates filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday over the Trump administration's use of a proclamation that effectively put an end to being able to seek asylum at ports of entry to the United States. The civil lawsuit was filed in a Southern California federal court by the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, the American Immigration Council, Democracy Forward, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The lawsuit is asking the court to find the proclamation unlawful, set aside the policy ending asylum at ports of entry and restore access to the asylum process at ports of entry, including for those who had appointments that were canceled when President Donald Trump took office. Unlike a similar lawsuit filed in February in a Washington, D.C., federal court representing people who had already reached U.S. soil and sought asylum after crossing between ports of entry, Wednesday's lawsuit focuses on people who are not on U.S. soil and are seeking asylum at ports of entry. No response was immediately issued by the Department of Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection, which were both among the defendants listed. Trump's sweeping proclamation issued on his first day in office changed asylum policies, effectively ending asylum at the border. The proclamation said the screening process created by Congress under the Immigration and Nationality Act 'can be wholly ineffective in the border environment' and was 'leading to the unauthorized entry of innumerable illegal aliens into the United States.' Immigrant advocates said that under the proclamation noncitizens seeking asylum at a port of entry are asked to present medical and criminal histories, a requirement for the visa process but not for migrants who are often fleeing from immediate danger. 'Nothing in the INA or any other source of law permits Defendants' actions,' the immigrant advocates wrote in their complaint. Thousands of people who sought asylum through the CBP One app, a system developed under President Joe Biden, had their appointments at ports of entry canceled on Trump's first day in office as part of the proclamation that declared an invasion at the border. 'The Trump administration has taken drastic steps to block access to the asylum process, in flagrant violation of U.S. law,' the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies stated in a news release Wednesday.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House preparing Trump's meetings at G7 summit, which Zelenskyy attends
The White House has confirmed that it is preparing separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, where, in addition to the G7 leaders, the presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine are expected to attend. Source: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing in Washington, quoted by Ukrinform Quote from Leavitt: "I can confirm there will be quite a few bilateral meetings between the president [Trump – ed.] and other foreign leaders." Details: Meanwhile, Leavitt did not specify whether a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planned. Quote from Leavitt: "The White House is still working very hard to finalise that schedule, and we will provide that for you as soon as we have it." Background: The Office of the President of Ukraine hopes to organise a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit on 15-17 June. Last week, Zelenskyy confirmed that he had received an invitation to the G7 summit. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Thin-Skinned Trump Snaps Over Kennedy Center Snub
Donald Trump snapped at a reporter who tried to ask about Kennedy Center actors who were planning to walk out rather than perform for him Wednesday night. He cut off the question, insisting, 'I couldn't care less!' 'Honestly, I couldn't,' Trump continued on the red carpet. 'All I do is run the country well,' he said, before launching into a lengthy list of his self-proclaimed achievements. Les Misérables cast members were offered the option to sit out the show on the night of Trump's attendance, and about a dozen performers were planning to do so, CNN reported last month. It underscores the ongoing conflict between Trump and members of the performing arts center, which he effectively seized control of in February. The president ousted much of the board, replaced them with loyalists, and appointed himself chairman, vowing to eliminate programming he deemed too 'woke,' such as events featuring drag performers. 'There's no inflation. People are happy. People are wealthy. The country is getting back to strength again,' said Trump, who was accompanied on the red carpet by Melania. 'That's what I care about.' In fact, inflation held largely steady in May at 2.4 percent. There are protests across the country as anger over Trump's immigration crackdown grows, especially in Los Angeles, which is contending with a militarized response from the Trump administration that local officials say they did not want or need. The Kennedy Center, meanwhile, has seen subscription sales plummet by more than a third year-on-year in the wake of Trump's takeover. But Trump has insisted his leadership will make the center 'great again.' Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center, slammed the potential boycott last month and suggested actors who participated should be publicly identified, telling The New York Times, 'Any performer who isn't professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won't be welcomed.' 'In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn't hire—and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience,' he added. Loud boos could be heard from the audience as Trump waved from the presidential box, there were also cheers and a chant of 'USA! USA!' There was applause earlier for several drag queens as they arrived at the event. A group of drag performers had been expected to attend in protest after some attendees gave up their tickets following Trump's shakeup. Vice President JD Vance also attended the event with his wife, Usha Vance, and joked on X that he had no idea what the iconic musical was about. Trump, too, appeared to lack knowledge of the plot when he couldn't say whether he identified more with the protagonist or antagonist.