During a Halloween party hosted at the White House on Monday, the US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken’s 3-year-old daughter was seen wearing blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag while his 4-year-old son was dressed as the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The party was hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
Blinken arrived with his wife, White House cabinet secretary Evan Ryan, and their children to take treats from the president. Blinken’s daughter was wearing a blue dress with a yellow cape while their son was wearing the military green sweatshirt with a small US-Ukrainian flag pin on the chest and cargo pants in which Zelenskyy is mostly seen since the beginning of the war with Russia. The children received boxes of M&M bearing the presidential seal from Biden.
Blinken’s grandfather, Moritz Blinken, was born in 1900 in Ukraine’s capital which was then a part of Russia. When he was 4 years old, his family came to the US. Blinken’s ancestors were Ukrainian Jews, like Zelenskyy, reported the New York Post.
According to the White House, approximately 8,000 guests participated in this year’s Halloween event which took place on October 30. First Lady Jill Biden created this year’s theme, “Hallo-READ!,” with the White House’s festive decor featuring famous literary characters, ghoulish tales, and ghost story time. Families also received donated books from Scholastic. Jill Biden was dressed up as ‘Willow the First Cat’ in the event. She hoped this year’s party would inspire families to enjoy spooky stories together.
"From famous literary tales and ghost stories to the spooktacular thrill of reading, we hope families and children pick out their favorite Halloween book, grab a flashlight, and take a moment to enjoy storytime together," said the first lady.