The Latest Test for the White House? Pulling Off Its Easter Egg Roll (failing badly!!)

[niyad]

The Latest Test for the White House? Pulling Off Its Easter Egg Roll


Trump Administration Hunts for Easter Eggs, and Senior Staff

Link to tweet

/photo/1
The White House is as much as two months behind recent standards for presidential transitions, leaving 90 percent of the positions considered critical to leadership unfilled. It did, however, manage to order the eggs for the Easter egg roll. By A.J. CHAVAR and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS on Publish Date April 11, 2017. Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times. Watch in Times Video »


WASHINGTON — President Trump received an urgent warning in February, informing him of a crucial date he was about to miss.

“FYI manufacturing deadlines for the Easter eggs are near,” said a Twitter post directed at Mr. Trump; the first lady, Melania Trump; and the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump. “Please reach out!”

Link to tweet

/photo/1

The message came from Wells Wood Turning, the company that supplies commemorative wooden eggs for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, the 138-year-old celebration that has drawn 35,000 people to the South Lawn in recent years. The staff of the company, based in Buckfield, Me., wondered whether the Trumps planned to continue distributing the wooden eggs as party favors, or whether they were even going to have a White House Easter Egg Roll at all.




By early March, the White House announced that the roll was on — next Monday, to be exact — and soon followed up with a rush order for the wooden eggs. By that time, the ovoid uncertainty had raised a question perhaps not as consequential as investigations into Russian interference in the presidential election, a legally dubious travel ban and a collapsed health care bill, but no less a window into the inner workings of the Trump administration: Could this White House, plagued by slow hiring and lacking an on-site first lady, manage to pull off the largest, most elaborate and most heavily scrutinized public event of the year? “It’s the single most high-profile event that takes place at the White House each year, and the White House and the first lady are judged on how well they put it on,” said Melinda Bates, who organized eight years of Easter Egg Rolls as director of the White House Visitors Office under President Bill Clinton. “I’m really concerned for the Trump people, because they have failed to fill some really vital posts, and this thing is all hands on deck.”
. . . . .


White House officials did not respond to several weeks’ worth of inquiries about the Easter Egg Roll, typically a heavily and enthusiastically promoted affair, and declined to provide basic information such as how many people are expected to attend. It is unclear, for instance, whether Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, will reprise his appearance in a bunny suit for the event, as he did a decade ago when George W. Bush was president and Mr. Spicer was an aide in the Office of the United States Trade Representative. “Plans for the Easter Egg Roll are well underway, and the White House looks forward to hosting it,” said Stephanie Grisham, Mrs. Trump’s communications director, installed only a few weeks ago. She said it was “just not accurate” to suggest that the event had been scaled back from past years, but would not provide figures for the size of the event or information about the program.

The evidence points to a quickly thrown-together affair that people close to the planning said would probably draw about 20,000 people — substantially smaller than last year’s Easter Egg Roll, which drew 37,000 — and be staffed by 200 volunteers, one-fifth of the usual number. These people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe the plans for the Easter Egg Roll, which are still evolving just a week before the event. The White House has ordered 40,000 of the commemorative eggs — about half of the roughly 85,000 ordered in 2016 — with 18,000 to be given away at the Easter Egg Roll and another 22,000 available for sale, according to Lara Kline, the vice president for marketing and communications at the White House Historical Association, the official retailer.

. . . . .

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/us/politics/white-house-easter-egg-roll-trump.html?_r=0


http://www.theroot.com/the-trump-administration-is-about-to-ruin-easter-1794210906

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Can you still get those plastic eggs that pantyhose used to come in?

Maybe they could use those, and they'd even have pantyhose left over for the criminals in the WH to wear over their heads as they loot the US Treasury.

[annabanana]

2. HA! . . . .n/t

[SharonClark]

4. Excellent idea!

[niyad]

9. the dollar store sells bags of 18 plastic eggs of a decent size. $1.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Yes, but do they come with pantyhose?

I think Steve Bannon and SCROTUS himself would look much better with pantyhose over their heads, and that would also reflect their actual larcenous characters.

[niyad]

13. as long as they are dark and opaque

[forgotmylogin]

3. He better get a check in advance.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. He'll be OK; it's the government's money.

If the bill were sent to SCROTUS personally, though, he'd never see a dime.

[lunasun]

5. Imagine having to deal with this WH on any business level.

[eleny]

7. Yeah, my first thought was wondering if they'll get paid for the eggs

[niyad]

8. I would say, why would any sane person want to??? but, that company has been doing the egss

for a number of years now.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. But it's the first chance for someone inside the Trump White House with actual experience to shine.

[niyad]

12. geez, spice boy looks almost human.

[FSogol]

19. You can barely tell he is lying in that photo. n/t

[monmouth4]

14. I would imagine it's these events that trump and his people think are a real P.I.A. He really does

not care a whit about it nor does his staff. Such a bother!

[niyad]

15. I mean. . . really. . . having average people? children? ewwwwwww.

[FSogol]

16. Alt-Easter Egg Roll: Kids bring their own eggs and Trumpy & family steal them.

Hope those 20,000 visitors have increased their young charges to pelt Trumpy with the eggs.

[niyad]

17. ah, your idea is correct. except I would not waste good art (which those wooden eggs are)

on that collection of scum and villainy.

[FSogol]

18. My kids have a bunch at home from the Bill Clinton days. Great fun for the kiddies, but

I wouldn't go anywhere near the Trumpy version.

[Mosby]

20. in past years you could buy the wooden eggs

I have a set from 2009.

[niyad]

21. but, for that to happen, planning in advance to order enough in advance would be helpful

[3catwoman3]

22. How about an Easter egg toss, with raw...

...eggs. I'm sure small children could be excused for having inaccurate aim and pelting the pRezident with raw eggs.

[niyad]

23. ahhh, that would be lovely!