White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer played the role of the Easter Bunny at the White House’s annual Egg Roll event back in 2008 when George W. Bush was the president, but it is unclear if he’ll reprise the role this time around.
Spicer, now a household name thanks to his often-mocked press briefings that have inspired several “Saturday Night Live” sketches at his expense, doesn’t try to hide his Easter Bunny past and even mentions it on his GOP website bio.
“It gets very hot. Each bunny gets a handler who guides them around the South Lawn,” Spicer told Politico back in 2008. “I can’t see too much, and the bunny does not talk, but every child is special on this day… Most children are so excited to see the bunny that they are on their best behavior.”
Spicer continued: “I really get a kick out of the ones that thank the bunny for their basket or a gift they got on Easter.”
President Rutherford B. Hayes started the Egg Roll tradition back in 1878, with the bunny first making an appearance in 1969 during President Richard Nixon’s administration, according to the New York Daily News. A member of the administration often plays the bunny and Spicer was an assistant U.S. trade representative for media and public affairs when he landed the gig.
Meanwhile, Spicer has probably advanced in his career to the point that he wouldn’t be expected to wear the bunny suit anytime soon, but the New York Times reported that Trump’s White House is scrambling to get the event organized in general.
“It’s the single most high-profile event that takes place at the White House each year, and the White House and the first lady are judged on how well they put it on,” Clinton administration staffer Melinda Bates, who organized eight years of Easter Egg Rolls, told the Times.
The Times suggested that military bands could replace entertainers like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Idina Menzel and Silentó who have performed during the event in recent years.
“Plans for the Easter Egg Roll are well underway, and the White House looks forward to hosting it,” White House communications director Stephanie Grisham told the Times.