Pool Reports of April 21, 2025

WH in town note 1/ Pool gathers

Greetings from the White House on a 60F overcast day. Pool and pre-credentialed media have gathered at the Palm Room doors for the White House Easter Egg Roll.

White House livestreams play here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

WH in town note 2/ Easter egg roll scene

Pool and pre-credentialed media are on the south lawn, which is divided up by white fences and gates. There are lots of multicoloured eggs neatly stacked on tables covered by pink tablecloths. Standing yellow signs say, 'Egg roll start' and 'Egg roll finish'. Staff are wearing white aprons.

There are hundreds of parents and young children on the south lawn, making for a convivial atmosphere. One area is dedicated to hopscotch; another has an 'egg tunnel'; another has a row of giant replica eggs. Various white tents and other attractions have been set up. There are two press risers.

The US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is playing outside the south portico, which has elaborate floral decorations on its pillars and stairs and main door arch.

WH in town note 3/ POTUS appears

POTUS, FLOTUS and the Easter Bunny emerged on the south portico balcony at 11am. The crowd cheered and the national anthem followed. POTUS said: "Happy Easter, everyone."

POTUS said of the late Pope: "He was a good man, he worked hard and loved the world."

POTUS is still speaking.

WH in town note #4/ POTUS at Easter Egg Roll

POTUS finished speaking at 11.06am and, with FLOTUS, descended the south portico stairs. The Easter Bunny followed behind.

POTUS and FLOTUS stood and observed 'The President's Own' Marine Band playing. POTUS spent a few minutes talking to reporters then to staff.

Holding FLOTUS's hand, POTUS leaned over and talked to one child lined up for the egg roll. The Easter Bunny stood to FLOTUS's left.

POTUS asked the children: "Are you ready? One two three!" He blew a whistle and the race began.

This was repeated a few times. POTUS noticed one boy had moved forward and had a "head start" on the others.

POTUS and FLOTUS moved forward and talked to members of the crowd then sat with children at an activity table. Event is ongoing.

Pool has spotted Karoline Leavitt, Stephen Miller and Kash Patel in attendance.

WH in town note 5/ POTUS speaks to reporters

POTUS walked a line of reporters taking questions. He said he does not yet know whether he will attend the Pope's funeral. He expressed confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and criticised the "fake news" media. On the question of whether Secretary Hegseth is doing a good job, POTUS remarked: "Ask the Houthis."

More to follow.

WH in town note 6/ POTUS on Pope and Pete Hegseth

POTUS held gaggles at two separate press risers during the White House Easter Egg Roll. Your pooler was at the second one. Here is a first round of quotations from that:

Q: How are tariff negotiations going?

POTUS: "I think they're going very well. We're going to make a lot of money. We're already 25% on cars and aluminum and steel. Taking in a lot of money, more money than this country's seen. And that's just the beginning."

Q: Are you going to go to the Pope's funeral?

POTUS: "I don't know yet. We're going to be briefed on it right now."

Q: Would you like to go?

POTUS: "I don't know, I just have to look at the timing. We just lowered the flags throughout the country."

Q: Is there a proposal from the United States that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia?

POTUS: "So I will be giving you a full detail over the next three days. But we had very good meetings on Ukraine, Russia. We had very good meetings, actually, on Iran too. We'll see how that works."

Q: What's the next step there?

POTUS: "The next step is we need a little time but we had very good meetings on Iran and the tariffs are going very well. Everybody wants to negotiate."

Q: How are you going to remember Pope Francis's legacy?

POTUS: "He's a very good man who loved the world and he especially loved people that were having a hard time and that's good with me."

Q: He preached tolerance for migrants. Do you agree with that?

POTUS: "Yeah, I do, I do."

Q: Pete Hegseth. Do you still have confidence?

POTUS: "Here we go again. Just a waste of time. He is doing a great job."

Q: Why do you still have confidence?

POTUS: "Because he's doing a great job. Ask the Houthis how he's doing."

Q: There's a hearing today on the Alien Enemies Act in the DC District Court.

POTUS: "I was elected to clean up the mess in this country. We had millions and millions of people come in who are criminals, who are murderers, who are everything you can imagine. Drug lords, drug dealers. They came in from prisons and from mental institutions. And I was elected to move them out, among many other things. And that's what we're doing."

More to follow.

WH in town note 7/ POTUS on Pete Hegseth and immigration

Second gaggle continued. On another question about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Signal messages:

POTUS: "We have the highest recruitment numbers I think we've had in 28 years. No, he's doing a great job. It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. He was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people and that's what he's doing so you don't always have friends when you do that."

On a question about visiting his golf course in Scotland:

POTUS: "We're opening a fantastic project... and I hope I'm going to get to see it. It's going to be great. Thank you."

On a question about Haitian immigrants finding it nearly impossible to go back to Haiti because flights have been suspended:

POTUS: "We have to have a safe country. If people are in the country illegally – and the people who have records that are very bad in particular – we have to get them out. I was, as you know, elected on the basis that we would have very little crime in our country... We closed up the border. The border's now the strongest border we've ever had."

Q: These are Haitians who came in legally through that Biden-era programme. There are communities, even in Texas, conservative voters, who say these people should not be forced to leave.

POTUS: "Well, if they came legally then they're going to be in good shape."

Q: You talked about Jesus in your opening statement. How important is this country right now [inaudible]?

POTUS: "It brings the country together. It's so important that we do that. Religion. I said bring religion back. Religion keeps it together. Such a great thing."

POTUS walked to the Oval Office at 11.45am.

And from POTUS's first gaggle (which your pooler could not get to), CSPAN has a clip:
https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-speaks-about-death-of-pope-francis-and-second-hegseth-signal-chat/658861

WH in town note 8/ Lunch lid

A lunch lid was called until 2.15pm.