Trump uses children's book reading to roast former presidents as he strays from text

Donald Trump made an appearance on Usha Vance's podcast Storytime with the Second Lady on Friday, where he was invited to read a children's book to an audience of young listeners in honour of literacy and the upcoming Fourth of July.

The book in question, "Presidents Play," was produced by the White House Historical Society and takes readers through how various US presidents have historically spent their downtime while in office, from sports to hobbies to home renovations.

But rather than simply sticking to the script, Trump repeatedly veered off topic as he flicked through the pages, offering his own personal takes on the men who came before him in the Oval Office, several of which doubled up as thinly veiled digs.

What did Trump say about other presidents on Storytime with the Second Lady

At one point, discussing William Howard Taft, who served as America's 27th president and is widely remembered as the heaviest man to ever hold the office, Trump joked that he had to watch his own weight so as not to "supersede his record."

"For all of you out there watching, keep yourself in good shape, right?" he added, addressing the young audience directly.

Taft wasn't the only former president to get the Trump treatment during the reading. When the book turned to John F. Kennedy, Trump offered a backhanded compliment, remarking that JFK was "the second-most good-looking president," seemingly reserving the top spot for himself, though he didn't say so outright.

He also had thoughts on Barack Obama's sporting credentials, casting doubt on his basketball skills while suggesting his real love was golf, before adding that Obama "won't be in the Masters anytime soon."

Not every mention was a jab, though. Trump had kinder words for Bill Clinton, saying he wouldn't personally take up jogging like the 42nd president once did, but calling him "a nice guy" that he still likes "a lot."

Elsewhere in the reading, Trump tied several of the book's historical anecdotes back to his own time in the White House.

After a passage on Harry Truman's love of walking around Washington DC, Trump used the moment to highlight his own crime crackdown in the capital, claiming the city has "become a very safe place" as a result.

America is a country on "a little bit of a ledge"

He also referenced John Quincy Adams' habit of swimming in the old Tiber Creek, noting that his new White House ballroom, which is replacing the East Wing, is being built on the site of the former creekbed.

The president wrapped up his appearance with a message for the children tuning in ahead of Independence Day, describing America as a country currently "on a little bit of a ledge," while insisting things are heading in the right direction.

"We have a great country," he said. "It can go one way or another, you understand that. But we're going to make it go the other way."

Trump also used the segment to admit his own reading habits don't stretch far beyond the news, telling Vance he mostly reads newspaper stories "about myself."