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Move over, Easter Bunny, the White House Easter Egg Roll is now being sold to the highest bidder.
Donald Trump’s White House opened the door for sponsorships to slap their logos across the South Lawn’s festivities Monday, and big tech came calling. Tech giants like Meta, Amazon, YouTube (owned by Google), and the New York Stock Exchange donated anywhere from $75,000 to $200,000.
According to the administration, the money raised by these billionaires will go to the White House Historical Association.
While this isn’t the first time the event has had some sort of sponsorship, it’s definitely the first time it’s been marketed to this degree. In the past, the White House has accepted private donations with minimal branding.
At the event, children posed in front of pastel-colored, logo-plastered photo backdrops. “Expand your world with Meta AI,” one reads. Another photo area, listed as Amazon’s “reading nook,” is a photo area for children and parents to sit on a couch in front of the Amazon and White House logo alongside emojis reading books.
“During my years as ethics czar in the White House, when my duties included overseeing these kinds of compliance issues … I never would have allowed this,” Norm Eisen, a longtime Trump critic who served as President Barack Obama’s special counsel for ethics and government reform, told Politico.
However, tech owners like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Google’s Sundar Pichai have more reasons than the spirit of “He is Risen” to donate six figures to a children’s event.
The three tech bros have taken big hits to their wallet thanks to Trump’s “Liberation Day” tactics, despite the president’s promise to omit tech companies from reciprocal tariffs. Given the convicted felon’s track record of acting out of spite, it doesn’t hurt to pony up.
Zuckerberg, meanwhile, is in the midst of his trial against the Federal Trade Commission that has been years in the making. And while Trump might not have his hands personally in the process of what U.S. District Judge James Boasberg (yes, the Judge Boasberg currently in a battle with Trump over illegal deportations) can do, he does have control over firing members of the FTC or dismantling it from within. Google is also facing illegal monopoly challenges in court.
Of course, these guys have already collectively given millions to Trump’s inaugural campaign.
As for the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, Jeffrey Sprecher, who is married to Trump-appointed leader of the Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler, he also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural campaign.
Speaking of big money, Melania Trump is finally coming out of the woodwork to show face on the South Lawn. The first lady has been virtually nonexistent at the White House since her husband’s inauguration, which seems like a great deal for her.
Given the company footing the bill for her big documentary, Amazon Prime, is one of the sponsors for the Easter event, it only makes sense for her to put on a smile and “Be Best” for all of the children.
The first lady’s office also announced that the White House would be using real eggs in place of plastic eggs this year despite the insane rise of consumer prices of eggs.
“In addition to the classic Egg Roll and Egg Hunt—both featuring real, small- and medium-sized eggs donated by American egg farmers—guests will enjoy a wide array of entertaining activities thanks to the White House Historical Association and its partnerships,” Melania’s office said in a statement to Politico.
Overall, the administration used approximately 30,000 eggs during the event Monday.
“Trump’s White House is using 30,000 real eggs worth over $15,500 for their Easter Egg Roll,” the DNC tweeted in response to the choice. “Meanwhile, Americans dyed potatoes instead of eggs this Easter to save money.”
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