President Trump will participate in the White House Easter Egg Roll, the 139th iteration of the annual tradition, on Monday morning.
Yet even something as light as the Easter celebration for kids has become a sort of mini controversy for Trump, as a recent New York Times report detailed a planning effort behind on its organizational and staffing requirements. Some contractors went so far as to take to the president’s favorite medium of Twitter to remind him of important dates:
@FLOTUS @realDonaldTrump @POTUS @MELANIATRUMP @IvankaTrump FYI manufacturing deadlines for the Easter eggs are near. Please reach out! pic.twitter.com/D78YqWVPBi
— Wells Wood Turning (@WellsTurning) February 20, 2017
Hosted by first lady Melania Trump, the event is expected to draw approximately 21,000 adults and children to the White House lawn for the festivities, according to CNN, down from the more than 35,000 attendees as last year’s gathering. The festivities began at 7:30 am and will continue throughout the morning, with various waves of events planned.
Looking forward to hosting the annual Easter Egg Roll at the @WhiteHouse on Monday! pic.twitter.com/nz7vucugx9
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 14, 2017
Though press secretary Sean Spicer was in attendance, he did not reprise his role as the official Easter Bunny, a position he held when he worked for the George W. Bush administration; instead he opted to read a story to children.
#neverforget #WhiteHousebunny @seanspicer pic.twitter.com/Fi134UjYYJ
— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) March 28, 2016
You can watch a live stream of the events above, or on the White House YouTube channel.