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President Donald Trump used the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday as a platform to celebrate both the holiday and what he described as a spiritual revival under his leadership, telling a crowd of thousands, “We’re bringing religion back in America”, CNN reported.
Speaking from the Blue Room Balcony, Trump opened his remarks by highlighting the religious significance of Easter.
“Easter is special and it’s one of our favourite days. It’s one of our favourite periods of time. We’re honouring Jesus Christ, and we’re going to honour Jesus Christ very powerfully, powerfully throughout our lives,” the president said, according to CNN.
The statement was followed by an assertion of cultural renewal. “We’re bringing religion back in America. We’re bringing a lot of things back, but religion is coming back to America. That’s why you see the kind of numbers that you see, the spirit and the kind of numbers that you see,” Trump continued, addressing the cheering audience, per CNN.
According to the report, First Lady Melania Trump stood beside the president, joined by the Easter Bunny, as well as Donald Trump Jr., his five children, and his girlfriend, Bettina Anderson. The festive gathering marked the return of one of Washington’s most cherished springtime traditions, with attendance estimated to surpass 42,000 people, the report said, quoting the president.
During the event, Trump reportedly thanked the Marine Corps Band, the National Park Service, and the First Lady for their roles in organising the celebration. Children took part in classic egg roll races on the South Lawn, with Trump and Melania blowing a whistle to kick off the games. The president also spent time interacting with children as they coloured at picnic tables.
Trump also took a veiled political dig at his opponents, citing a spike in military enlistments since the previous election, and reportedly saying, “Our country is doing very well, we had the highest number of recruits, enlistments. … Since November 5, it’s all happened. … We were setting records. Six months ago, we couldn’t get anybody, and now we’re setting records”.
As the event came to a close, Trump left the crowd with a brief message, “Happy Easter and enjoy your lives.”
