President Donald Trump joined Second Lady Usha Vance for an episode of her children’s podcast on Friday, reading the book Presidents Play while adding his own commentary about several former presidents and discussing his administration’s priorities, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The episode of Storytime with the Second Lady featured Trump reading the children’s book published by the White House Historical Society.
The book highlights how American presidents spent their leisure time while serving in office.
Independence Day is almost here! 🇺🇸 Celebrate our country’s 250th birthday with me and special reader President Trump as he reads about our former (and current!) presidents’ favorite pastimes on Storytime with the Second Lady.https://t.co/MMGBWjWgfP [2]
— Second Lady Usha Vance (@SLOTUS) July 3, 2026 [3]
As he turned the pages, Trump frequently paused to offer personal observations about previous commanders in chief, commenting on their hobbies, athletic abilities, appearances, and presidencies while occasionally comparing them with his own experiences.
While discussing President John F. Kennedy, Trump remarked, “He was handsome. He was the second-most good-looking president, they say.”
When the book referenced President Barack Obama’s athletic interests, Trump responded, “Obama is a basketball player. I don’t know if he’s a good basketball player; I tend to doubt it. Actually, his favorite sport is golf … But he won’t be in the Masters anytime soon.”
The book also noted that President William Howard Taft was the nation’s heaviest president. Trump used the moment to joke about maintaining that distinction.
“He was our heaviest president, and I have to be careful, because I don’t want to supersede his record, and a thing like that would be possible if I allowed it to happen. For all of you out there watching, keep yourself in good shape, right?”
When reading about President Gerald Ford adding an outdoor swimming pool at the White House, Trump commented, “I don’t get to use it. I don’t know if I look good in a bathing suit. I haven’t had a bathing suit in a long time.”
The book also mentioned President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s addition of 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,” Trump said.
After reading about President Bill Clinton’s jogging track at the White House, Trump added, “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.”
While discussing President Abraham Lincoln’s horseback riding, Trump remarked, “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.”
Trump also used several portions of the book to discuss current projects and policies.
After reading that President Harry Truman enjoyed walking around Washington, D.C., Trump pointed to his administration’s public safety efforts, saying the nation’s capital “has become a very safe place” following his crime reduction initiatives and increased federal law enforcement presence.
When the book referenced President John Quincy Adams swimming in Tiber Creek, Trump noted that his planned White House ballroom is being built where the former creek once flowed before it was redirected during Washington’s expansion in the nineteenth century.
According to Trump, the project will include what he described as a “beautiful ballroom” replacing the existing East Wing.
The president has continued referencing former presidents during public appearances as his second term approaches its midpoint.
During an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Trump discussed negotiations related to Iran, saying, “I don’t want to be a president that oversees the great worldwide depression, that was Herbert Hoover, and it was a terrible thing.”
Earlier in the week, while attending the opening of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential library in North Dakota, Trump also spoke extensively about the Panama Canal.
During a tour of the library, Trump interacted with a hologram of Roosevelt and recalled asking, “What do you think about the Panama Canal? Do you consider that your greatest achievement, and how do you feel about the fact that the Democrats gave the Panama Canal away to Panama for $1?”
Later, Trump added, “We gave it away. It was the most expensive thing we ever built, and it was also the most profitable thing we ever built. How stupid was that?”
The president also discussed several projects planned during his administration, including renovations to the Rose Garden, new signage outside the Oval Office, construction of a White House ballroom, and plans for a triumphal arch near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Vance launched Storytime with the Second Lady to encourage childhood literacy by inviting guests to discuss books and read stories for children.
Asked about his own reading habits, Trump replied, “I end up reading mostly newspapers. I usually read stories about myself.”
The president concluded the episode with a Fourth of July message for young viewers.
“We have a great country. We have a country that, it’s on a little bit of a ledge right now,” Trump said.
“It can go one way or another, you understand that. But we’re going to make it go the other way.”