The White House held its annual Easter egg roll event Monday on the South Lawn, with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcoming thousands of people to the first White House Easter Egg Roll of his second term.
The annual tradition dates back to the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, according to the White House, and save for war and food shortages, has been a mainstay of Pennsylvania Avenue since 1878.
The event, which the White House said would use eggs "donated by American egg farmers," also comes as egg prices in the United States reached record highs earlier this year due to an outbreak of avian flu that has forced farmers to kill off millions of egg-laying hens.
Monday's egg roll was also the first time the White House had solicited corporate sponsors for the event, with YouTube, Amazon, Meta, listed among the sponsors. The companies' support comes as billionaire tech executives have faced growing criticism for cozying up to the Trump administration, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, as well as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has taken on unprecedented power within the White House.
With sponsorships ranging from $75,000 to $200,000, according to a CNN report earlier this month, the White House has said the money raised will go to the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit.
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