Trump, First Lady Host Annual White House Bipartisan Congressional Picnic

Hundreds of lawmakers and their families joined senior administration officials for the traditional get-together on the South Lawn.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump speak during the annual Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on May 19, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed hundreds of congressmembers and their families to the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday.

The bipartisan annual tradition began in its current form in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded the Democratic Party gatherings that had originated with President Harry Truman in 1945.