White House solicits corporate sponsors for Easter Egg Roll : NPR

President Trump and the Easter Bunny wave during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 22, 2019.

Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The White House is for the first time soliciting corporate sponsors for the annual Easter Egg Roll event to be held Monday on the South Lawn. This comes as billionaire tech executives have faced growing criticism for cozying up to the Trump administration.

“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,” the White House said in a statement.

Listed among the sponsors were companies including YouTube, Amazon, and Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta.

Tech company executives, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerburg of Meta and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have been criticized for their firms’ donations to Trumps inauguration fund and for taking meetings with Trump and his allies.

Most notable among the tech billionaires to rub elbows with Trump is Tesla boss Elon Musk, who has taken on unprecedented power within the White House, despite concerns that his involvement in federal affairs marked an improper, if illegal, shift in government protocol.

CNN first reported earlier this month that the White House had begun courting sponsors for the typically apolitical family gathering, at between $75,000 to $200,000. The White House says the money raised will go to the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit.

In a statement, YouTube said its participation in the Easter Egg Roll “has become an annual tradition, and we do so in line with the administration’s process. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for kids to meet their favorite creators, and we look forward to having a presence once again this year.” NPR reached out to other companies, but they did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The annual event dates back to the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, according to the White House, and save for war and food shortages, have been a mainstay of Pennsylvania Avenue since 1878.

The event, which the White House said will use eggs “donated by American egg farmers,” also comes as egg prices in the United States have reached record highs due to an outbreak of avian flu that has forced farmers to kill off millions of egg-laying hens.