President Donald Trump has appeared on an incredible range of programs since entering public office, embracing chances to speak to supporters and critics alike.
But his recent appearance on a podcast hosted by second lady Usha Vance gave him a chance to share a different side with the American people.
As The Hill reported:
In Friday’s prerecorded episode of “Storytime with the Second Lady,” Trump read the children’s book “Presidents Play,” which was published by the White House Historical Association.
It shows illustrations of former presidents playing sports and doing recreational activities on the White House grounds.
When asked by the second lady whether he has time to read for fun while balancing the busy schedule demands as president, Trump said he mostly reads newspapers and stories on a very specific topic.
ADVERTISEMENT“I usually read stories about myself,” he replied.
As he flipped through the colorful book, Trump spoke about a number of former presidents from both parties.
He called former President Reagan a “high-quality person” while describing former President Lyndon B. Johnson as a “tough cookie.” He said former President Kennedy was “the second-most good-looking president,” without stating who he believed was first.
Trump said former President Nixon “got himself into trouble, I guess,” in an apparent reference to the Watergate scandal leading to Nixon becoming the first president to resign from office. He also joked that former President Hoover’s game called Hoover Ball “worked out better for him than the economy,” which had suffered massively during the Great Depression occurring while Hoover was president.
The appearance attracted significant social media attention:
This is nice. Uniting around our children is the right direction.
— Maryam Cooley (@CooleyMary48936) July 3, 2026
Usha Vance: All of these incredible accomplishments, they take a lot of reading. Do you have any time to read for fun these days?
POTUS: I end up reading mostly newspapers. I usually read stories about myself. pic.twitter.com/9gmFWsNwaC
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) July 3, 2026
Nice!!!! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
— Stevo – Bitcoin & $CELH 🚀 (@Stevo_12) July 3, 2026
The New York Post added these details:
*On Dwight Eisenhower adding a putting green to the South Lawn: “I’ve never used it, because I don’t want to be seen putting at the White House. I wanted to be seen working at the White House.”
*On Bill Clinton adding a jogging track: “I don’t think I’ll ever do that. I don’t see myself doing that. I don’t know, but he’s actually was a nice guy. I like Bill Clinton a lot. I still do.”
*On Abraham Lincoln riding horses: “I’d like to ride horses too. In fact, it gives me an idea, but when you fall off a horse, I’ve seen too many bad things happen.”
ADVERTISEMENTTrump also tied some of the book’s anecdotes back to his own work as president.
For example, after reading that Harry Truman liked to take walks around Washington DC, the president touted his crime crackdown and federal law enforcement surge for ensuring the capital city “has become a very safe place.”
John Quincy Adams, Trump noted, liked to swim in Tiber Creek, which ran near the White House before being redirected as DC grew in the mid-1800s.
According to Trump, his “beautiful ballroom” to replace the old East Wing is being constructed on the site of the former creekbed.
Here’s a full clip of the podcast:
What are your thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
