Topline
President Donald Trump told Second Lady Usha Vance he doesn’t read for fun in a video posted Thursday, except about himself, and downplayed any hobbies outside of office, as the president read a children’s book about past presidents and commented on his predecessors.
Key Facts
Trump participated in Vance’s “Storytime with the Second Lady” series where high-profile guests read a book to children, with the president choosing the book “President’s Play!” published by the White House Historical Association.
Vance asked Trump if he ever reads for fun, to which the president responded, “I end up reading mostly newspapers. I usually read stories about myself.”
Trump then commented on past presidents as he read through the book—often praising even Democratic presidents, like saying, “I like Bill Clinton a lot, still do” and calling President Jimmy Carter “a very nice man.”
The president continued to criticize President Barack Obama, however, commenting on a photo of him playing basketball, “I don’t know if he’s a good basketball player, I tend to doubt it” and saying that while Obama likes to play golf, he “won’t be in the Masters anytime soon.”
Trump also commented on himself, saying at one point he doesn’t “know if I look good in a bathing suit, I haven’t had a bathing suit in a long time,” and, after commenting on President William Howard Taft being the country’s “heaviest president,” mused, “I have to be careful so I don’t supersede his record,” and told the children watching to “keep yourself in good shape.”
Crucial Quote
Trump downplayed his own hobbies in office saying, “My attitude is you’re at the White House for a short period of time, it’s an honor to be here. And you should work for the people.” Though the president has frequently been seen playing golf throughout his two presidencies, largely at his own properties, Trump said he’s never used a putting green at the White House because he doesn’t “want to be seen putting at the White House. I want to be seen working at the White House.”
What Did Trump Say About Other Presidents?
Trump commented on a number of presidents as he made his way through the book, which showed off hobbies presidents did at the White House during their free time. President Ronald Reagan was “in very good shape,” Trump commented, describing the late president as being a “high quality person” who was “just like [if] your father was president.” President Lyndon B. Johnson “wasn’t in shape,” Trump said in comparison, but called the president a “very tough cookie.” Trump praised President Abraham Lincoln’s habit of riding horses as being “great” and said he’d “like to ride horses too” but expressed fear about falling off of one, musing he would have to get a “nice old horse that’s extremely slow” and “lazy.” Trump also praised President John F. Kennedy as a “great guy” and “handsome,” calling him the “second most good-looking president,” and said President Grover Cleveland was a “good president,” hailing him as being the only president besides Trump to serve two terms non-consecutively. When he came upon a photo of President Richard Nixon bowling, Trump commented that the Republican president “spent a lot of time fighting to stay in office,” because “a lot of people got him into trouble, and he got himself into trouble I guess.” Trump also said President Dwight Eisenhower was a “much better president” than he’s “given credit for” and praised the Republican as a “nice man.”