Trump reads a children’s book on Usha Vance’s podcast, then riffs on past presidents and himself
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump joined the second lady Usha Vance On his podcast, where guests read picture books to children, but famous for veering off script, Trump offered a running commentary about his predecessors, his physique and how he spent his time in the White House.
During Trump’s appearance on Vance’s “Storytime with the Second Lady” podcast, Published online on Fridaypresident “Let Presidents Play!” A children’s book from the White House Historical Association featuring illustrations of presidents who enjoyed sports and used the White House and its recreation areas.
Trump pre-taped the appearance in the Oval Office of the White House in mid-June; here, she added plenty of gold accents, complemented by a bald eagle stuffed animal, tables stacked with oversized stacks of books, and a globe made from Legos.
When Vance asked Trump if he had much time to read for fun while he was president, Trump said he mostly read newspapers.
“I usually read stories about myself,” Trump said.
As Trump flipped through his children’s book, he made observations about past presidents, cracked some jokes and plugged in the expansive ballroom he’s building on the White House grounds.
He described Lyndon Johnson as “a tough cookie,” Ronald Reagan as “a high-quality human being” and “like your father was president,” and John F. Kennedy as “the second most handsome president.” It was not said who Trump thought was the most handsome president.
Richard Nixon, the only president to resign from office after being implicated in the Watergate scandal, “guess he got himself into trouble.” Herbert Hoover, who was president during the Great Depression, was depicted in the book playing a game he invented called “Hoover Ball”.
“This worked out better for him than the economy,” Trump said.
Barack Obama, who has long been Trump’s source of ridicule, was photographed playing basketball.
Trump, who calls himself “Barack Hussein Obama”, said he doubts Obama is a good basketball player. He later shared that Obama’s favorite sport is golf, but added, “He won’t be getting into the Masters anytime soon,” referring to the professional golf tournament.
When he reached the page with a drawing of Bill Clinton running on the running track the former president built in the White House, Trump said, “I don’t think I’ll ever do that.”
But he added that he liked Clinton “very much.”
Trump considered horseback riding after seeing a photo of Abraham Lincoln riding a horse.
“That’s great. I’d like to ride a horse, too,” Trump said. “It actually gives me an idea, but when you fall off the horse… I’ve seen so many things happen. It’s not good to fall off the horse.”
The solution he suggested was: “An extremely slow, lazy, beautiful old horse” and “maybe he’d ride it.”
A photo of John Quincy Adams swimming in what was then Tiber Creek past the South Lawn of the White House prompted Trump to remark: “I think we’re building a nice ballroom on this.”
The physical activities of some of the other presidents led to some reflection on their own physiques.
When Trump saw Gerald Ford swimming in the pool, he said: “I don’t know if I look good in a swimsuit. I haven’t worn a swimsuit in a long time.”
Trump said that William Howard Taft, known for his social circle, “is our fattest president.”
“I have to be careful because I don’t want to break his record,” Trump said. “And such a thing might be possible if I let it happen. All of you watching out there, keep yourselves in good spirits.”
In addition to encouraging young viewers to stay fit, Trump delivered a somewhat vague message when the second lady asked him for his advice on why kids should celebrate country on the Fourth of July.
“We have a great country,” Trump said. “We have a country that’s a little bit on the edge right now. It can go one way or another, you understand that. But we’re going to make it go the other way. And we’re going to make America greater than ever.”
