U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted thousands of children and their parents Monday at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
The president, first lady and their 11-year-old son Barron, accompanied by an Easter Bunny, greeted the crowd from a balcony of the White House. "We will be stronger and bigger and better as a nation than ever before," Trump said. "We're right on track. You see what's happening."
The Easter Egg Roll at the White House, on the day after Easter, has a long tradition dating back to 1878.
This year's event, with 21,000 tickets handed out to Washington-area schoolchildren and military families, was a smaller affair than in years past. About 35,000 people attended a year ago, when then-first lady Michelle Obama organized a carnival-like affair with pop singers, celebrity chefs and professional sports stars.
Children and families roamed the White House lawn at Monday's event, pushing wooden eggs across the grass with oversized spoons, playing beanbag games and coloring drawings that are being sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Military bands, a pop-rock band and a family circus performed for the crowd.