Trump Thanks Melania for 'Perfect' White House Easter Egg Roll

21K attended Monday event
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 17, 2017 3:33 PM CDT
Trump Welcomes 21K to White House Easter Egg Roll
Michael McGee, 5, poses with an Easter bunny during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April,17, 2017. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are set to host the official annual Easter egg roll at the White House.   (Carolyn Kaster)

Opening his first White House Easter Egg Roll, President Donald Trump extolled the strength of America as thousands of kids, and some adults, reveled in the time-honored tradition of rolling hard-boiled eggs across the manicured lawn in his back yard. "This is the 139th Easter Egg Roll. Think of it, 139," Trump said Monday, welcoming families to the annual event, which the AP reports was dampened by intermittent rain. "And we will be stronger and bigger and better as a nation than ever before. We're right on track," he said, speaking of the nation's strength under fewer than 100 days of his leadership. Trump's wife, Melania, and their son, Barron, 11, and the Easter Bunny joined him on a balcony overlooking the expansive lawn before they went downstairs to join some of the 21,000 people who were expected to attend what is the biggest social event every year at the White House.

Before joining the festivities with his family, Trump thanked his wife for "working on this for a long time to make it perfect." There was, however, some speculation about whether the Trumps would be able to pull off a successful "egg-stravaganza." Planning seemed to get off to a late start, with the Trumps taking longer than in previous years to announce Monday's date. Both Trump and the first lady have been slow to fill White House jobs, and at least one regular egg roll vendor took to Twitter, the president's favorite social medium, to remind the White House that a deadline for ordering the wooden eggs that are given out as souvenirs was approaching. But the egg rolling event, which dates to 1878, wouldn't be made to disappear. It was just made smaller, down from the 35,000 people who got tickets last year. Click for more on the festivities. (More White House Easter Egg Roll stories.)

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