April 22, 2019

Thousands of children storm White House lawn for annual Easter Egg Roll

WATCH: Children storm White House lawn for annual Easter Egg Roll

Thousands of children stormed the White House lawn Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the event for the third time.

The president thanked the first lady and others for organizing the event and had a few words about the U.S. economy too.

Trump blew a whistle to kick off an egg rolling contest and he and the first lady mingled with the children and families who attended. The first lady gave high fives to kids playing at the hopscotch courts.

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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look on during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, April 22, 2019.

At one point, sitting at a small table where children were drawing with crayons, Trump had an exchange with a young boy about the proposed border wall.

"Oh it's happening, it's being built now," Trump told the child.

"This young kid just said keep building the wall, can you believe that? He's going to be a conservative someday," Trump said.

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President Donald Trump holds the arm of First Lady Melania Trump during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 22, 2019.

The event, now in its 141st year, got its start under President Rutherford Hayes. One game includes children balancing eggs on wooden spoons. Costumed characters, including the Easter Bunny, were on site.

(MORE: The White House Easter Egg Roll: Everything you need to know)
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President Donald Trump, joined by first lady Melania Trump, right, greet guests on the South Lawn of the White House, April 22, 2019, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

The Trumps, who celebrated Easter at Mar-a-Lago, cheered on the children participating in the egg races.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks as First Lady Melania Trump looks on during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 22, 2019.

The president spent most of the weekend out of the public eye, but did take to Twitter to fire off at least a dozen tweets related to the release of the special counsel report last week.

(MORE: Trump tweets frustration with details of Mueller report, following public release)
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President Donald Trump speaks during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 22, 2019.

The Easter Egg Roll event, which is organized by the first lady’s office, incorporated her “Be Best” initiative. There was a station for children to send postcards to family, friends and members of the military.

Also new this year: a game called "musical eggs," which is an Easter-themed adaptation of musical chairs.

More than 30,000 guests were expected to take part in this year’s festivities, according to the first lady’s office.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks as First Lady Melania Trump waves during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 22, 2019.