Easter Egg Roll Salvaged

As you all know, I've never been a fan of Donald Trump, but never let it be said that I'm not willing to give credit where credit is due. The Trump Administration has successfully dodged its biggest challenge yet, pulling off Monday's annual White House Easter Egg Roll at basically the last possible minute.

The event was much smaller than last year's, which was attended by 35,000 people and featured numerous celebrity guests. The White House claimed that it was focusing on "quality instead of quantity," which is what you say when you send out all the invitations too late for you to have any chance at quantity.

Some 21,000 people were invited to attend the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, one of the year’s largest events held at the mansion and one that attracted additional attention this year after the newest occupants of the most famous house on Pennsylvania Avenue got a slow start planning the party.

But despite concerns, all seemed to go off without a hitch. It was lower key and less flashy than in years past. First lady Melania Trump wanted to focus on the more traditional aspects of the longtime Easter Egg Roll, her spokeswoman said.

Children and families roamed the lawn and stopped at picnic tables to make drawings that would be sent to troops overseas. They tossed beanbags and practiced soccer at makeshift goals set up by D.C. United. And some tried their hand at what has arguably become one of the more challenging jobs in the Trump administration: They stood in for Sean Spicer at a miniature press secretary podium set up on the lawn.

The success of the event was ensured by hundreds of volunteers, who stepped up and did the work normally done by White House staffers - many of whom Trump has not gotten around to hiring. That's most likely why everything had to be done at the last minute in the first place, because until the volunteers showed up there was no one to do the organizing work.

For all my snark, though, it does sound like the kids who attended had a good time, and really that's what the whole event is about. Events like these don't need to be huge, star-studded affairs so long as everybody involved is having fun.

Now, about North Korea and Syria...