The annual White House tradition of rolling Easter eggs across the South Lawn is expected to continue this year, despite concerns over egg prices and supply strains in recent months due to avian flu. This decision has received mixed reviews from American egg farmers.
President Donald Trump addressed the issue on Wednesday while announcing new tariffs, stating, “They were saying that for Easter please don’t use eggs. Could you use plastic eggs? I say we don’t want to do that.”
The Easter Egg Roll, scheduled for April 21, will feature 30,000 eggs for White House guests to decorate and use in games, according to the American Egg Board. This industry group has provided the eggs for the event for years, relying on donations from farmers across the country.
The board had several internal discussions about the optics of supplying tens of thousands of eggs for the Easter Egg Roll, given the burden egg farmers have faced. NBC News reports a person familiar with the planning said they ultimately decided to supply the event as usual.
Bird flu has affected 168 million birds across the United States since the outbreak began in February 2022, according to the Agriculture Department. This outbreak has led to a short supply of hens, contributing to higher egg prices.
While egg shortages and high prices have impacted consumers nationwide for months, prices have declined in recent weeks, although they remain higher than usual. The average cost of a dozen large white eggs is now $3, compared with an all-time high of $8.64 on March 5, according to the Agriculture Department.
