A leading animal rights organization is pointing to high egg prices in a push for President Trump to swap yolks for spuds at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll.
In a letter to the commander in chief and Melania Trump released Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President Ingrid Newkirk shared the group’s suggestion to “replace the tired old Easter Egg Roll” with the “Make America Great Easter Potato Roll.”
“With eggs scarce as hen’s teeth and egg prices at an all-time high (and projected to rise 41 percent more this year), this would be a terrific way to put America’s potato farmers first and set a winning example for citizens looking for an affordable, protein-rich option,” Newkirk wrote.
“Easter has to do with Christian values, not chicken factories. In starch contrast, a potato roll would absolutely be a reason to rejoice,” the letter from PETA said.
The White House announced last week that its annual Easter Egg Roll — a tradition that dates back to 1878 — is scheduled to take place on the South Lawn on April 21.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted last month that egg prices would increase by more than 40 percent this year due to a widespread bird flu outbreak.
“Amid an eggstinction caused by the worst avian flu outbreak in history, in which at least 166 million farmed birds — most of them egg-laying hens — have been wiped out, hosting an Easter Egg Roll that typically uses 30,000 eggs seems a bit eggcessive,” Newkirk said in the pun-filled message to the president.
As part of the appeal for potatoes, which PETA also made last year to then-first lady Jill Biden, the group touted the benefits: “They are the most popular vegetable in our country and can be safely dyed, allowing for spudtaculartraditional activities, such as rolling, seeking, and decorating them.”
“We urged the previous administration to take a crack at uprooting this Easter tradition,” Newkirk wrote to Trump, “but we have faith that your administration can actually get it done. We are standing by to provide the potatoes for the event if that pleases you.”
