Updated July 3, 2026, 8:55 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump cast doubt on Barack Obama’s basketball prowess, praised John F. Kennedy’s good looks and declared his fondness for Bill Clinton. Then he made fun of his own weight.
Trump was reading a picture book to children – with a side of commentary – during an appearance on second lady Usha Vance’s podcast “Storytime with the Second Lady” on June 3 in the Oval Office. The podcast was launched almost three months ago to promote childhood literacy and has featured special guests including her husband, Vice President JD Vance, and Inter Miami CF soccer player Ian Fray. The podcast has close to 6,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Trump, who was guest No. 10, poked fun at his predecessors, but he was also uncharacteristically self-effacing.
The 24-page book – “Presidents Play!” – published by the White House Historical Society in 2020, features illustrations showing how presidents, despite their hectic schedule, unwind on the White House grounds by exercising, playing sports and relaxing.
The president sat face to face with Vance in the Oval Office and started off with a brief introduction of the now-gilded space, describing it as “the most powerful piece of real estate probably in the world.”
Asked by Vance if he has any time to do any leisurely book reading, Trump admitted it’s “mostly newspapers.”
“I usually read stories about myself,” he said
Then he got going on various presidents.
“I think the presidents all work hard, but sometimes they take a break to have fun and exercise,” he said
Ronald Reagan was in “very good shape” whereas Lyndon Johnson “wasn’t into shape, but he was a very tough cookie, a real great politician.”
He flipped to a page with an illustration of Clinton running on a special jogging track at the White House that had been built for him.
“I didn’t even know that until recently,” he said. After saying he didn’t see himself as a jogger, Trump heaped praise on Clinton.
“He actually was a nice guy,” he said. “I like Bill Clinton a lot. I still do.”
Coming up on a picture of Abraham Lincoln riding a horse, he said it had given him “an idea.”
After talking about “too many bad things” happening from people falling off horses, Trump said he’d be game to mount a “a nice old horse that’s extremely slow, lazy and maybe ride.”
Seeing Gerald Ford’s picture and the White House swimming pool that he built, Trump, who has referred to himself as “very handsome,” said: “I don’t know if I look good in a bathing suit. I haven’t had a bathing suit in a long time.”
Trump was also modest when it came to evaluating his own build, while musing about William Taft’s weight.
“He was a large man, very large. He was our heaviest president,” Trump said. “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.”
Still, the flashes of self-effacement didn’t last long.
Talking about John. F. Kennedy, Trump remarked: “He was the second most-good- looking president.”
Then Trump settled on one of his two favorite political punching bags: Barack Obama. Joe Biden didn’t make the book as it was published in 2020.
“Barack Hussein Obama was a basketball player. I don’t know if he’s a good basketball player. I tend to doubt it,” said Trump. “Actually, his favorite sport is golf. But he won’t be in the Masters (tournament) anytime soon.”
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal.
