Jenna Bush Hager Shares the Promise George W. Bush Broke After Being Elected President
Former President George W. Bush broke a pretty big promise to his children when he was elected into the highest office in the country in 2000, and now daughter Jenna Bush Hager is exposing him for it.
In a new interview with People, the Today Show co-anchor opened up about living out much of her early life under the scrutiny of the public, which wasn't what she expected growing up.
While her grandfather George H.W. Bush was in office, he and First Lady Barbara Bush made it a point to remain present for their family, making things feel normal in the beginning—"so much so that we didn’t quite understand the pressures that they faced with their jobs,” Bush Hager told the publication.
As her dad began to gear up his own political career, he still made it a point to be a "hands-on dad," acting as an "equal partner" to her mother and making sure to be home every night.
Related: Why Jenna Bush Hager's Kids Will 'Never' Be on 'Today' Again
When her dad was elected president, she and her twin sister, Barbara, were 18 years old and getting ready to start their first semesters of college. He promised them that they'd be able to keep living the normal lives they wanted to, but it's not a promise he was able to keep. "We were maybe all slightly naive, to be honest,” Bush Hager admitted.
The tabloids would go on to obsess over her, as would their readers. "The world was expecting us to be perfect,” she said, calling out headlines detailing her and her sister drinking underage. Her parents never did, however, for which she is incredibly grateful. It's "the absolute best blessing that they could have ever given" to their daughters.
While her dad broke his promise to his daughters, Bush Hager said that the public scrutiny, though it was incredibly painful, ultimately made her stronger. “There’s something about growing up and having terrible things said about you, making mistakes publicly, then being able to bounce back and have resilience from that, which has allowed me to feel like I can live a really joyful life,” she said.
