rabbit ears. The rain is drizzling. 64,000 boiled eggs.
Under rainy skies, President Biden hosted an Easter Egg Roll at the White House on Monday. This tradition is so wholesome and time-honored that it often simply transcends Washington politics.
“Easter reminds us of the power of hope and rebirth, sacrifice and resurrection, but primarily of the power of love and grace for one another,” Biden said on the White House balcony with two giant He spoke while standing between the Easter bunnies.
But this year, before there were blue skies for the children gleefully rolling eggs on the White House lawn, the 146-year-old tradition was caught in a partisan storm.
In the days leading up to the event, Republicans took advantage of guidelines for the annual egg-decorating contest that prohibit the use of religious symbols in entries, even though the rules say otherwise. existed for decades And it was forced upon him by Biden's predecessors.
Biden's political opponents also criticized the White House for commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday. For the past 15 years, Visualization Day has been held on March 31st. This year, that day happened to be Easter Sunday.
Biden briefly addressed the controversy when asked about House Speaker Mike Johnson's remark that the White House's celebration of Easter Day was “outrageous and abhorrent.”
“He's completely ignorant,” Biden said.
For the most part, the culture wars fueled by Republicans meant little to those gathered at the events. Before joining the crowd on the lawn, Biden welcomed everyone and introduced the big highlights.
“Please say hello to our Easter Bunnies,” he said. “Come on, rabbits. Come up here so they can see you. Now get in there. It's quite a big rabbit, isn't it?”
The White House expected about 40,000 people to attend, a record number.
When asked what she's most looking forward to at this year's Easter Egg Roll, 7-year-old Kylie Hughes of Waldorf, Maryland, said, “I love hearing about Joe Biden.”
The president posed for photos with children and family members, and even helped comfort a young girl who started crying because she was irritated by her body shape, until he rolled an egg with her.
“This is really about kids and Easter and celebrating,” said Nikki Santos, a member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe who lives in Washington, D.C., with her 7-year-old daughter. “And I definitely feel a positive, happy energy today.”
Jill Biden, the first lady and a teacher of 30 years, chose the theme of the event as “EGGucation” and transformed the South Lawn and Ellipse into a school community that included hot air balloons and activity stations. She hosted her family in her “reading corner” where she read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
“I'm a teacher, so I love any time I can make the White House my classroom,” Biden said. “And that's what we're doing today.”