In photos: Signal scramble at the 2025 White House Egg Roll
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President Trump and first lady Melania Trump listen to Master Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Bennear of the Marine Band sing the National Anthem during the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 21. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Monday hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll, which broke from tradition by seeking corporate sponsorships.
The big picture: The Easter Bunny, members of Trump's family and multiple administration officials attended — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is working to repair the cracks left by a fresh bombshell report from the New York Times over his use of Signal.
- The Pentagon's chief spokesperson Sean Parnell denied the reports that Hegseth sent sensitive details of planned strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen via a Signal chat group with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
Driving the news: The activities present at the event, according to the White House, included a military card writing station; an "AI-Powered Experience and Photo Opportunity," courtesy of Meta; and a Reading Nook, courtesy of Amazon.
- Thousands of attendees were expected at the event, Trump said while addressing the crowd.
- "We're going to honor Jesus Christ very powerfully throughout our lives ... not just now," he said, adding, "We're bringing religion back in America — we're bringing a lot of things back."
What they're saying: Hegseth, speaking to reporters during the event, struck out at members of the media, saying, "They've got Pulitzers from a bunch of lies."
- The former Fox News host downplayed what he called "anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees."
- In recent days, his leadership team has been decimated, Axios' Noah Bressner reports.
Trump told reporters at the event that Hegseth was doing "a great job," calling the latest report "fake news," according to NBC.
Go deeper: Most memorable sights and sounds from Trump's first Easter Egg Roll
