A staffer dressed in an Easter Bunny costume intervened Monday to stop President Biden from answering a reporter’s question on the White House lawn.
Biden, hosting the first White House Easter Egg Roll of his presidency as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, began to answer Afghan reporter Nazira Karimi’s inquiry before the bunny showed up and cut him off.
Event attendee Thomas C. Dillon tweeted his footage of the interaction, which wasn’t viewable to most spectators.
“Joe Biden quickly interrupted by the Easter Bunny after he starts to comment on #Afghanistan and #Pakistan at the White House,” Dillion captioned an 11-second clip.
Dillon, a public relations consultant and former adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, shared an extended version of the video with The Post, including Karimi’s brief and hard-to-hear inquiry regarding Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia.
“Pakistan should not and Afghanistan should be — people should be free,” Biden began his answer, before the bunny rushed to his location.
Biden jerked his head toward the costumed character in apparent shock and took a step away from the censorious beast.
The bunny enthusiastically waved its stuffed paws and ushered Biden away, apparently because he was needed to kick off another round of the egg-rolling competition by blowing a whistle.
White House press official Meghan Hays seemed to step forward as the disguised official, tweeting a photo of herself in the bunny suit with Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The photo appeared to have been taken either just before or after the group took part in the event.
White House journalists widely regard Hays, the administration’s director of message planning, as responsible for limiting press access to Biden at public events over the past year.
The president routinely blames unidentified subordinates for his inability to field journalists’ questions and some veteran journalists argue that is to the president’s political disadvantage, despite his propensity for gaffes.
The bunny’s interruption occurred just moments after the president presided over a group of children rolling eggs around on the White House lawn.
Karimi is known for her sometimes passionate press briefing remarks about the plight of Afghan civilians and women since last year’s Taliban takeover. She wore a clear rain poncho and held a video camera as she questioned Biden, but did not immediately publish her recording.
The holiday bunny made additional appearances Monday after the egg roll, including walking to the White House briefing room podium ahead of press secretary Jen Psaki’s briefing.
White House press assistant Angela Perez tweeted a picture of the same mascot sitting at a press office desk.
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