The Trumps Host Annual Easter Egg Roll
The president and first lady address questions about Iran during the annual White House tradition.
From the balcony of the White House Blue Room President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump alongside a costumed Easter Bunny welcomed visitors to the annual Easter Egg Roll Monday morning. As the president and first lady made their way through the crowds, Mr. Trump stopped on several occasions to answer press questions explaining his rationale for the war with Iran.
“We’re never going to let them have a nuclear weapon,” the president said.
Moments later when the first lady was asked what her message is for children in war zones, she responded, “All of this is happening for their future, so they will be safe in years to come.”
The first lady’s and president’s comments during the Easter Egg Roll, took place on the Monday after Easter and as the war with Iran stretched into its second month. On Easter, the president threatened to launch attacks on Iranian infrastructure in a profanity-laden social media post. Mr. Trump renewed that threat during a news conference shortly after he attended the White House Easter festivities.
Earlier, the president and first lady, surrounded by families with children, blew whistles starting the East Egg Roll, of which their grandchildren also participated. From there, the president and first lady joined children at a coloring table where they chatted with children and signed military cards. At the Reading Nook, located on the new Rose Garden patio and surrounded by young children, babies and parents, Mrs. Trump read The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd.
“It’s a beautiful story,” the first lady said at the end, adding she’s sure all the mothers can relate to how much the mother bunny loved her baby bunny before wishing everyone a happy Easter Monday and departed the Rose Garden.
The event included about 40,000 hand-dyed eggs by the North Carolina-based Braswell Family Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business specializing in the production of specialty eggs and feed for the Mid-Atlantic region. It took Braswell Family Farms more than three days to boil and color the eggs using specialized processes to achieve the White House’s selected colors for this year’s event, according to the American Egg Board.
In brief remarks at the start of the event, Mrs. Trump said this year’s Easter Egg Roll is very special because it’s part of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. The president noted it’s his fifth egg roll and that it gets better every time. He also thanked the egg farmers for the massive amount of eggs they supplied.
The Easter tradition at the White House dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes decided to open the South Lawn to egg rollers; it had previously been reserved for the First Family’s private Easter activities, according to the White House Historical Association. In 1974, President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon hosted egg roll races, an event that has become a regular Easter Monday celebration on the South Lawn.
Obama Foundation Announces Ticket Sale Dates Ahead of the Obama Presidential Center Opening
The Obama Foundation Monday announced that Obama Presidential Center museum tickets will go on sale for Founding Members starting April 21st, with ticket sales for the general public beginning May 6th. Illinois residents will be able to visit the museum for free on Tuesdays, with timed-entry tickets for residents starting June 23rd.
The vast majority of the Center’s campus is free and will open to the public on June 19th. This includes a playground, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, gardens, walking trails, 28 newly commissioned artworks, panoramic views of the surrounding South Side neighborhood and Lake Michigan from the Sky Room, according to the Obama Foundation.
“President and Mrs. Obama have always believed that democracy is strongest when people come together in shared spaces,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation in a press release. “The museum allows visitors to explore the history and impact of the Obama presidency, while the broader campus in Jackson Park creates a place where the community can gather, learn, and imagine what’s possible next.”
A few key highlights of the museum experience include a full-scale replica of President Obama’s Oval Office, with an opportunity to sit behind the resolute desk; an exhibit chronicling Mrs. Obama’s iconic fashion throughout the administration; exhibits describing the achievements of the Obama administration across two terms, as well as its unfinished work and challenges still to overcome; and short films, including a piece dedicated to the millions of campaign volunteers and another looking at some Americans who wrote President Obama and received personal responses.
Free, guided 15-minute sessions or “spotlight stories” offer a look at specific campus landmarks. Visitors can explore the Women’s Garden, featuring monumental art installations by Julie Mehretu and Alison Saar, or learn about the sustainable design of the Fruit and Vegetable Garden, which honors the legacies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama.
General admission tickets provide access to all four levels of the museum, including the Oval Office replica. All museum entry is timed-ticketed, and visitors are strongly encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance, according to the press release. Tickets go on sale April 21 for members and May 6 for the general public. Available dates will begin June 19 and extend through November 30, 2026. Tickets for future dates will be announced in advance. Sign up at obama.org to stay notified when future dates become available.
Calendar
April 10, 2026
Legacy Lecture: On the Road with America’s First Ladies
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a virtual program of powerful stories about America’s first ladies with Andrew Och, aka The First Ladies Man. The author of the two-volume series Unusual for Their Time: On the Road With America’s First Ladies highlights the women who shaped the presidency and influenced the course of American history. Read more
April 16, 2026
Third Thursday: Journeys That Changed America
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents on April 16, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. local time stories of the first ladies whose travels helped transform diplomacy, leadership, and American life. This in-person, Third Thursday program highlights unforgettable journeys: from Jackie Kennedy’s iconic moments abroad to Lady Bird Johnson’s road trips that helped redefine America’s landscapes. Read more
April 22, 2026
Ulysses Grant Deitz to Speak on ‘Julia and Ulysses at Home: The Grants in the White House, 1869-1877’
Julia and Ulysseus Grant would live in the White House for longer than they ever lived in any other house. For Julia, it was home in a way the White House had never been for any previous first family. The Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site on April 22, 2026 presents an in-person program featuring Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great grandson of Ulysses and Julia, who will explore Julia’s role as first lady and her substantial impact on the White House itself as well as the places and houses where they lived with their family. Call 314-842-1867 ext. 230 for reservations.
April 23, 2026
From Poise to Purpose: Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, and the Changing Role of First Lady
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation presents a birthday event at the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 23, 2026 to honor First Lady Betty Ford, who would be 108 on April 8.
Betty Ford and Pat Nixon shared more than just the first lady position: they also shared a long history of friendship and mutual admiration. Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, will discuss Pat Nixon’s life and times as well as the intertwined fates of Mrs. Nixon and Mrs. Ford, and their contrasting styles as first lady. Read more
May 15, 2026
Conference: ‘250 Years of First Ladies Making History’
Registration is now open for the “250 Years of First Ladies Making History,” a conference celebrating presidential spouses, their contributions as part of America’s 250th anniversary of its founding.
The event, sponsored by FLARE and American University’s School of Public Affairs First Ladies Initiative will bring together scholars, teachers, institutions, first ladies staff, biographers, archivists, journalists, historians, students and anyone with an interest in U.S. presidential first ladies for a day-long conference at American University in Washington, D.C.
The conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on May 15. Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States and CEO of In Pursuit, will keynote the conference luncheon with an interview by Anita McBride, FLARE founding member, a Gould Award Recipient, co-director of In Pursuit and Director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University. Register here.
May 19, 2026
30th Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum
On May 19, 2026, the Carter Center’s Rosalynn Carter Mental Health and Caregiver Program will convene the 30th Annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, a milestone gathering dedicated to advancing mental health policy, systems, and practice across the state of Georgia. Read more
Send calendar items, press releases and announcements to jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.