Latest news with #AmericanEggBoard
Korea Herald
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Trump greets people for Easter celebration
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump welcomed tens of thousands of people Monday to the White House Easter egg roll, saying the overcast weather meant no one would have to worry about getting sunburned. He thanked the National Park Service for how "spiffy" everything looked. More than 40,000 people were expected to participate, he said. "Happy Easter to everyone," the president said, flanked on the White House balcony by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and an Easter bunny mascot. "It was a beautiful day yesterday, and it's a beautiful day today. We don't have to worry about sunburn but ... it looks like it's not going to be raining." The president and first lady visited the egg roll area, where he blew a gold-toned whistle stamped with the presidential seal to start a few races. They also spent time at a station where kids wrote cards to service members. Melania Trump later read "Bunny with a Big Heart" at a reading area. It's a story about a forgetful rabbit who gets injured, must stay in bed and learns to be kinder to his family. 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. 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 organizing 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" The American Egg Board, which has participated in the Easter egg roll for nearly 50 years and has been a lead sponsor for the past decade, donated 30,000 eggs that were hand-dyed by board staff and volunteers, said Emily Metz, board president and CEO. She said the board understands the frustration felt by egg farmers and consumers over the egg shortage caused by the spread of avian flu and how expensive it's become to buy a dozen . Metz said the 2,500 dozen eggs given to the White House were small and medium, sizes not typically sold by retailers, so they will not further strain the supply or contribute to even higher prices. Nearly 9 million dozen eggs are sold daily in the United States, she said. "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," 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.
NBC News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Trump defends Pete Hegseth after new reporting on a second Signal group chat
The White House Easter Egg Roll will take place on the South Lawn today. Trump said yesterday he'll be there, adding that he is expecting 40,000 people to attend. He said all funds from the event will go to the White House Historical Association. The event, a tradition dating back to 1878, uses real eggs — a plan that the White House won't be scrambling this year despite concerns over egg prices. The White House is expected to use around 30,000 eggs for decoration and games in the festivities, and this year marks the first time it will exclusively use small and medium eggs that are not sold at markets. American Egg Board president Emily Metz previously said in a statement to NBC News that those 30,000 eggs 'represent a very small percentage of the nearly nine million dozen eggs sold at grocers and other retailers across the country each day.'
Metro
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Donald and Melania Trump host Easter event with 30,000 eggs despite high prices
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll with nearly 30,000 real eggs – despite continued high prices for them in the US. The 2,500 dozen eggs were used at the event with the Trumps opening up the South Lawn to more than 30,000 visitors on Monday morning. Donald and Melania, who wore a cream-colored coat and stood alongside an Easter bunny, blew whistles to kick off the event. They smiled and watched as children used spoons to roll dyed, hard-boiled eggs on the grass to the finish line while trying not to crack them. Tens of thousands of eggs were used in the tradition dating back to 1878, even though retail prices for eggs are still higher than normal due to the bird flu spread. Wholesale egg prices have been trending down. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The eggs were donated by farmers were not the same size as those sent to grocery stores, according to the American Egg Board. Board president and CEO Emily Metz stated in a press release that the eggs provided to the White House would 'not create additional strain on the nation's egg supply or egg prices'. Farmers donate 30,000 eggs for the event every year. The figure may seem large, but Metz said they are only a small fraction of the 108million eggs sold to retailers on a daily basis. 'The eggs used for the White House Easter Egg Roll will be in sizes small and medium, which are not meant for the retail and grocery channels,' Metz stated. Earlier this month, the president made it clear that he would not allow for the real eggs to be replaced with fake ones. 'They were saying that for Easter 'please don't use eggs. Could you use plastic eggs?' I say we don't want to do that,' he said, according to NBC News. Metz said in an interview: '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.' During the egg roll, the president said Easter is 'special' and 'one of our favorite periods of time'. 'We're honoring Jesus Christ, and we're going to honor Jesus Christ very powerfully throughout our lives,' he said. 'We're bringing religion back in America. We're bringing a lot of things back, but religion is coming back to America.' More Trending He gave his wife a 'special thank you' for working to organize the event. Melania held her husband's hand and laughed as he made a joke about his predecessor, ex-President Joe Biden, being taken out by the Easter bunny and saying 'it's not taking Trump out'. Asked by reporters how the egg roll went, Melania said: 'It was fantastic. So much fun.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Year's White House Easter Egg Roll Was Sponsored by Big Tech
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. Traditionally, the event has been considered apolitical and the only backer was the American Egg Board. But this year, the event took on a decidedly different look with corporate sponsorships introduced for the first time, much to the chagrin of government ethics and legal experts. In reflection of President Trump's stronger ties to Big Tech and Silicon Valley, the top-tier sponsors for this year's event were Amazon, YouTube, and Meta. Details on how the sponsorships appeared on-site remain unclear, but Politico reports that Amazon is behind activities on the South Lawn, including the reading nook and a family photo area. Meta is providing an 'AI-powered experience' and accompanying photo op, while YouTube is sponsoring the Bunny Hop Stage. The event started on a somber note as President Trump, flanked by the first lady and an Easter bunny, made additional remarks to his short statement on the death of Pope Francis earlier in the day. The White House solicited corporate sponsors through an outside production agency, Harbinger, according to CNN. Sponsors contributing $200,000 receive a custom 30-by-30-foot branded activation space, four tickets to the Easter Egg Roll brunch with the first lady, and the option of a meet-and-greet or White House tour. Lower-tier packages are available at $125,000 and $75,000. The White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878 under President Rutherford B. Hayes, though informal egg-rolling gatherings began earlier during the Lincoln administration. After egg rolling was banned on Capitol grounds in the 1870s, children were invited to the White House lawn, launching what became an annual tradition. Over time, first ladies have shaped the event with their own touches—from folk dancing to the iconic egg roll races—and attendance grew so large that limits were eventually imposed. (Today, the White House uses an online lottery system to offer free tickets to families across all 56 U.S. states and territories.) The tradition was paused during World War II, but was reinstated in 1953. Since 1981, guests have received commemorative wooden eggs signed by the President and First Lady. Additional corporate sponsors behind this year's Easter Egg Roll include the Toy Association, the International Fresh Produce Association, and the National Confectioners Association. The American Egg Board is still supporting the event, supplying the 30,000 hard-boiled (or 2,500 dozen) eggs. The organization also continued another tradition—that of the First Lady's Commemorative Egg, an intricately decorated real egg honoring each First Lady's values and initiatives. The 2025 First Lady's Commemorative Egg, inspired by Melania Trump's 'Be Best' initiative, features butterfly imagery carved into a chicken egg to symbolize growth. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
CBS News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trumps host White House Easter Egg Roll with corporate sponsorships
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, an annual tradition, although this year's celebration is being held only hours after Pope Francis died at age 88. Mr. Trump honored the pope in brief remarks, calling him "a good man." Mr. Trump said he ordered flags to be flown half-staff to honor the late pontiff. Instead of candy-filled plastic Easter eggs, nearly 30,000 real eggs are adorning the White House South Lawn, despite record-high egg prices. Mr. Trump on Monday complimented the National Park Service for decorating the White House lawn, calling it "beautiful and spiffy." Much of this year's egg roll event is sponsored by corporations, a change from the traditional sponsorship by the American Egg Board. The event has traditionally been sponsored by the American Egg Board, partly to keep company advertising off White House grounds. Sponsors who shell out for $200,000 will receive a "custom 30'x30' branded activation" and four tickets to the WHEER brunch with the first lady and a choice of a meet and greet or White House tour. Packages are also available for $125,000 and $75,000. Companies including Amazon, YouTube and Meta are sponsoring various stations for the event. Events company Harbinger prepared a 9-page brochure for prospective sponsors. It offers sponsors "media and PR exposure" in front of the White House press corps on the South Lawn. This year's theme looks forward to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation's founding , and kids will have a chance to sign mini Declarations of Independence and dress up as the Founder Fathers. Aside from children whose families have political connections, children are invited through a lottery for guests from all 56 U.S. states and territories. The White House Easter Egg Roll is a longtime White House tradition. It dates back to 1878, when then-President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House South Lawn to children who usually rolled eggs along the Capitol's grounds. As the White House puts it, Easter Monday celebrations became so popular in the 1870s that President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill banning rolling eggs on Capitol grounds over landscape concerns. What became an annual egg roll on the White House South Lawn was paused during World War I and World War II. But President Dwight D. Eisenhower reinstated the tradition in 1953.
