Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a joyful Easter Egg Roll at the White House on Monday, joined by the Easter Bunny and a cadre of happy children who were excited to color and chat with the First Couple.
“Today is a very special day, it’s a day where we celebrate Jesus, it’s a day where we celebrate religion, and it’s an honor to be the President of the United States,” the president said in his initial remarks from the White House Ellipse.
He continued, “Our country is doing so well, like it has never done before, you’ll see that very shortly, and things that we’ve done have not been done before. We’ve broken every record on the Stock Market; we’ve broken every record in our military. And what about the rescue that took place yesterday?”
The president was referring to the daring rescue operation in Iran that took place over the weekend, resulting in the successful retrieval of two U.S. airmen who had been shot down over enemy territory.
“Our warriors are the greatest fighters on earth, and they very much appreciate you and love you and that’s why they do it!” President Trump added.
The annual Easter Egg Roll event took place outside, in the warm sunshine. The president was joined by members of his family, including several grandchildren, as he and the First Lady participated in the events of the day, like the egg roll game and coloring pages with children.
President Trump also fielded questions from reporters from time to time, giving some insight into the progress against the war with Iran, preceding a press briefing that has been scheduled for Monday afternoon.
“We’ve had total regime change,” he acknowledged. “…The people that we’re negotiating with now on behalf of Iran are much more reasonable…the first regime was taken out, the second regime was taken out, now the third group of people that we’re dealing with is not as radicalized.”
The president has given Iran until Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET to acquiesce to American requests. Otherwise, he has publicly threatened to begin bombing domestic infrastructure in Iran, like power plants and bridges.
“We are obliterating their country, and I hate to do it,” President Trump told reporters on Monday. “And they just don’t want to say ‘uncle.’”
The president also noted that, if he had his way, he would seize Iran’s oil infrastructure.
“If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil,” he said. “Because it’s there for the taking, there’s not a thing they can do about it. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil, and we’d make plenty of money. And I’d also take care of the people of Iran, much better than they’ve been taken care of; it’s been horrible. They’ve killed 45,000 people as of a month and a half ago.”