Washington: US President Donald Trump offered a series of personal observations about former American Presidents, mixed with humour about himself and a message for children marking Independence Day, during an appearance on Second Lady Usha Vance’s children’s podcast released on Friday.
Trump joined Vance for an episode of StoryTime with the Second Lady, recorded in the Oval Office, where he read from Presidents Play!, a children’s book published by the White House Historical Association. The book highlights the sporting and recreational interests of American presidents.
Asked whether he still finds time to read for pleasure, Trump replied: “So I end up reading mostly newspapers. I usually read… stories about myself.”
As he turned the pages, Trump commented on several of his predecessors.
He described Lyndon B. Johnson as “a very tough cookie” and called Ronald Reagan “a high quality person”. Speaking about Harry Truman, he noted that the former president enjoyed taking walks around the White House grounds.
Discussing Bill Clinton, Trump said, “He’s actually was a nice guy. I like Bill Clinton a lot.” Looking at a picture of Abraham Lincoln riding horses, he said he would also like to ride but added: “Falling off horses is not good.”
The president also remarked on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and John F. Kennedy. Referring to Kennedy, he said he was “the second most good looking president, they say.”
Trump also reflected on Richard Nixon’s presidency.
“He spent a lot of time fighting to stay in office because he had a lot of… people got him into trouble and he got himself into trouble, I guess,” Trump said.
Turning to Barack Obama, Trump referred to the former president by his full name while discussing an illustration of him playing basketball.
“I don’t know if he’s a good basketball player. I tend to doubt it. Actually, his favourite sport is golf… but he won’t be in the masters anytime soon,” Trump said.
While discussing Dwight D. Eisenhower, Trump said he had never used the putting green outside the White House because “I don’t want to be seen putting at the White House. I want to be seen working at the White House.” He also joked about Herbert Hoover’s presidency, saying Hoover Ball “worked out better for him than the economy”.
Looking at a page featuring William Howard Taft, Trump joked about the former president’s size.
“He was our heaviest president and I have to be careful because I don’t want to supersede his record,” he said, before encouraging children watching the programme to “keep yourself in good shape”.
Near the end of the episode, Trump praised Usha Vance, telling her: “Everybody loves you. It’s a great honor.” When she asked what message he had for children celebrating the Fourth of July, he replied: “We have a great country… we’re going to make America greater than ever before. But the 4th of July is a fantastic day. It’s a day of celebration.”
The appearance came as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence. The White House has made the milestone a centrepiece of its public outreach, with events across the country leading up to next year’s commemorations.
(IANS)
