White House Easter Egg Roll fun not doused by rain

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — An estimated 40,000 people flocked to the White House on Monday to attend President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s “EGGucation” themed annual Easter Egg Roll.

The morning’s sky appeared relentlessly gray, with intermittent lightning and thunderstorms delaying the start of the event. While light rain persisted throughout the day, it did not douse the fun.

The White House Easter Egg Roll begins on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2024. Thunder and lightning delayed the start of the Easter egg roll at the White House for 90 minutes on Monday, but the event eventually kicked off under gray skies and internment rain. More than 40,000 people, 10,000 more than last year, were expected to participate in the event. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Biden, flanked by the first lady and two life-sized Easter Bunnies, greeted onlookers from the White House balcony, which was lined with colorful tulips.

“Easter reminds us of the power of hope and renewal, sacrifice and resurrection,” Biden said during his brief remarks. “But mainly love and grace toward one another. It’s a time to pray for one another, to cherish the blessings and the possibilities that we have as Americans.”

Since 1878, children have participated in the springtime tradition hosted by the first family on the White House South Lawn. This year, in addition to the coveted egg roll, where children use wooden spoons to push hard-boiled eggs across the finish line, there was a plethora of educational activities to engage in.

The “EGGucation” theme, spearheaded by First Lady Jill Biden, an educator for more than 30 years who continues to teach as a full-time English professor at a nearby community college in Northern Virginia, sought to transform the South Lawn into a schoolground.

“I’m a teacher, so I love any time when we can turn the White House into a classroom,” the first lady said Monday. “And that’s what we’re doing today.”

Guests this year included thousands of military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. Tickets were also made available for the general public through an online lottery.

Over the weekend, top Republicans said they were outraged at President Biden for acknowledging “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which happened to coincide with Easter Sunday. “Transgender Day of Visibility” has been held annually on March 31st since 2009; the date of Easter varies every year.

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. “Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent.”

When the president was asked to respond to that criticism during the Easter Egg Roll, he said the speaker was “thoroughly uninformed.”