Independence Day: President Donald J. Trump Reads 'Presidents Play,' Episode Ten

Overview

President Donald Trump appears on “Story Time with the Second Lady” for a Fourth of July-themed episode filmed in the Oval Office. Second Lady Usha Vance interviews Trump as he discusses the Oval Office’s significance and reads/remarks on a children’s White House Preservation book titled Presidents Play: Let’s Visit the White House.

Oval Office Themes

Trump describes the Oval Office as the central seat of presidential power, emphasizing themes of:

• Work
• Stress
• Problem-solving

He also notes that presidents sometimes take breaks to:

• Exercise
• Enjoy leisure activities

Presidents’ Hobbies Highlighted in the Book

While discussing Presidents Play: Let’s Visit the White House, Trump highlights various presidents’ hobbies—often focusing on how they stayed active and used White House spaces for recreation. Examples include:

• Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan taking part in White House life differently; Reagan is portrayed as athletic.
• Harry Truman taking walks; Bill Clinton having a jogging track; Abraham Lincoln riding horses.
• John Quincy Adams swimming near a described “creek area.”
• Franklin Roosevelt with an indoor pool; Gerald Ford with an outdoor pool.
• Kennedy sailing.
• Grover Cleveland returning for a second term.
• Nixon bowling, with remarks alluding to his political troubles.
• Theodore Roosevelt practicing jujitsu; Jimmy Carter playing tennis; Obama playing basketball (Trump adds that Obama’s favorite is golf).
• Dwight Eisenhower enjoying golf.
• Herbert Hoover creating “Hoover Ball,” framed as an invention that “worked out” differently than Hoover’s economy did.

Sports Teams and Notable Visits

Trump also points to the book’s theme of presidents welcoming sports teams, referencing high-profile visits such as:

• Super Bowl teams
• The Dodgers
• Other teams and visits

He also mentions William Taft throwing an opening pitch.

Trump’s Fourth of July Message

Trump closes with advice for children on why they should celebrate July 4. He frames the nation as being at a critical point—“on a little bit of a ledge”—but says America will be pushed “the other way,” aiming to make the country “greater than ever.”

He ties the holiday to honoring:

• Children
• Teachers
• Parents

Emphasizing:

• Education
• Character-building
• Encouragement for families to celebrate with fun and books about the country

Presenters / Contributors

• Usha Vance (Second Lady)
• President Donald J. Trump
• White House Historical Association (publisher/producer of Presidents Play, mentioned by Trump)