Melania Trump made a rare appearance in Washington, taking in the games and cheering on the children alongside President Donald Trump at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
Dressed in a pale-colored trench coat, the first lady was focused on the children, giving them high fives and encouraging them in the competition.
President Trump applauded his wife for planning the affair, which was expected to draw more than 40,000 people to the White House’s South Lawn.
‘And I just want to give a special thank you to our great first lady who organized this entire event,’ the president said. ‘She worked very, very hard on it. She worked very hard.’
He continued: ‘I said, ‘What are you doing?’ She said, ‘I’m working on the egg roll.’ I said, ‘That sounds like a lot of fun,’ And we’re going to have a lot of fun in just a couple of minutes.’
Trump also thanked the National Park Service for ‘the job they do and making everything so beautiful and spiffy.’
And he paid tribute to Pope Francis, who died earlier Monday, saying he was putting the flags at half-staff to honor the pontiff.
‘He was a good man, he worked hard and loved the world,’ Trump said. He told reporters he didn’t know if he was going to the pope’s funeral or not.
First lady Melania Trump (left) made a rare appearance in Washington, D.C., to appear alongside President Donald Trump (center) and the Easter Bunny at the White House Easter Egg Roll
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump (right) participate in the egg roll game alongside Donald Trump Jr. and girlfriend Bettina Anderson (left)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to the South Lawn at Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll
Trump also boasted that religion was back in the United States.
‘And we’re going to honor Jesus Christ very powerfully,’ he told the crowd.
‘Happy Easter and enjoy your lives!’ the president concluded from the balcony.
From there, it was off to the games. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson, along with Don’s children, joined the first couple.
The president was in fine form, blowing a golden whistle with the seal of the presidency, and, in-between starting the egg roll race, he took questions from the media.
Asked if he’d like to go to the Pope’s funeral, Trump responded: ‘I don’t know, I just have to look at the timing. We just lowered the flags throughout the country.’
A reporter pointed out to the president that Pope Francis had preached tolerance for migrants and was asked if he agreed.
‘Yeah, I do, I do,’ Trump answered.
Trump also expressed confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid another Signal scandal.
‘Here we go again. Just a waste of time. He is doing a great job,’ Trump said.
When asked why he had confidence in Hegseth, Trump answered, ‘Because he’s doing a great job.’
‘Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,’ Trump said.
Melania Trump, for her part, focused on the children. She called the Easter Bunny over to meet a group, putting her arm around the bunny as she spoke to the kids.
First lady Melania Trump waves during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday
First lady Melania Trump reads Bunny with a Big Heart during Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll
First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump are joined by a person dressed as the Easter Bunny
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (right) attended Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll
She and the president took turns blowing the egg roll race to its start.
The children waved at them, trying to get their attention by calling ‘Trump, Trump, Trump.’
After a few rounds of egg rolling, the first couple went to a set of picnic tables to color cards for American troops stationed abroad.
The president was swarmed with children crawling all over him. The first lady kept her table a little more orderly.
After the card making, Trump gave his wife a kiss and she continued on to her Be Best hopscotch while he returned to the West Wing.
Melania Trump called out the start, cheered the children in their jumping and high-fived them when they were done.
The hopscotch path was made of eggs, with each reading ‘brave,’ or ‘caring,’ ‘smart’ or ‘kind.’
She concluded her morning by reading ‘The Bunny with a Big Heart’ to families in the first lady’s garden.
‘Happy Easter,’ she told them.
President Donald Trump (left) gives a kiss to first lady Melania Trump (right) during the White House’s Easter Egg Roll on Monday
President Donald Trump smooched his wife, first lady Melania Trump, on the South Lawn during Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll
President Donald Trump blows a whistle during Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn
President Donald Trump talks with a group of children during a card making session
Melania Trump talks to children at the coloring tables
Elon Musk was spotted briefly at the White House Easter Egg Roll
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller arrives on the South Lawn for the annual Easter Egg Roll
Several members of the administration and other MAGA favorites milled about the event, which took place on the South Lawn of the White House.
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz was spotted, as was FBI Director Kash Patel, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Stephen Miller with his wife Katie, who is a spokesperson for DOGE, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, with her husband and young son.
Elon Musk was spotted talking to visitors on the South Lawn.
The American Egg Board donated the 30,000 eggs to be used in the roll.
Emily Metz, the board president and CEO, said in an interview with the Associated Press that the eggs given to the White House were small and medium sizes not typically sold in stores – so will not put futher strain on the egg supply or contribute to even higher egg prices.
‘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.
The White House got corporate sponsors for portions of the Egg Roll this year, which included tech giants including Amazon and Meta.