‘Today’: All 4 Living Ex-Presidents Tell Jenna Bush Hager Their Hopes for U.S. - Family Stories
‘Today’: All 4 Living Ex-Presidents Tell Jenna Bush Hager Their Hopes for U.S.
What To Know
- On Today, Jenna Bush Hager interviewed the four living former U.S. presidents about their hopes for America as it approaches its 250th anniversary.
- The presidents emphasized the importance of active citizenship, compromise, respect for democratic principles, and optimism about the nation’s future.
- Each president reflected on their legacy, highlighting service, integrity, and ensuring equal opportunity.
Jenna Bush Hager‘s latest Today interview was historic.
In an interview aired on the Tuesday, April 21, episode of Today, Bush Hager sat down for an exclusive conversation with America’s four living former presidents: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and her father, George W. Bush. During her interviews, Bush Hager asked the former presidents, “As we’re celebrating 250 years of our democracy, what message do you have to Americans?”
Obama replied, “Remember what’s best in us, that the basic principle upon which this country was founded, which is we don’t have rulers. We don’t have kings, monarchs, or aristocracies. We have citizens. And if we hold true to that idea, that we the people have been gifted this chance of self-government, if we pay attention to our responsibilities, and if we extend respect and thoughtfulness to our fellow citizens, even if we disagree with them.”
He went on to state, “If we understand that part of this democratic project is to sort through our differences in peaceful, legal ways, then I’m confident that we’re gonna have another 250-year run that’s going to be just as good.”
Clinton told Bush Hager, “The country will survive as much by the process, by the freedom to speak, by the freedom to vote, by the freedom to be active in politics, as by any particular issue. And because it’s like it is, compromise is essential.”
Biden, for his part, described the U.S. as the “most unique country in the world,” adding, “We really do think democracy is dictated by the rules of the Constitution. And we do believe and react, and when we do, we do well, that all men are created equal.”
As for Bush, he told his daughter that his message to the country is to “consider yourself fortunate to be a part of a great nation.” He continued, “Study our history so you have a better sense for what the future will be like. And be a citizen, not a spectator, and by that, I mean participate in the process, but also love a neighbor like you’d like to be loved yourself.”
Bush also noted that “one of the beauties of this country is that there are thousands and thousands of citizens who volunteer on a daily basis to help somebody in need.” He shared, “They’re often not heralded, but they make a huge difference, one person at a time. And I would hope people would take a look at our history and realize we’re an imperfect nation trying to be more perfect, but be optimistic about the future of the country.”
Earlier in the interview, Bush Hager asked each former president about their legacy. For Bush, he reflected on the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “I think historians will analyze that day, America’s response after that day. It was a reminder that the human condition elsewhere matters to the security of this country. It mattered then and it matters now, by the way,” he said. “But I think people want to know how the country responded, and it was overwhelming volunteerism.”
Obama made history as the country’s first Black president, but he said it’s “very hard” for him and his peers to “judge [their] place in history.” He explained, “That’s up to other people. I can speak about what an extraordinary honor it was to serve the American people. I can speak to how inspired I was to hear the stories of folks out there who were doing wonderful things in their communities, helping each other out, being good neighbors. Maybe one thing I am proud of is the fact that I think we upheld the integrity and the honor of the office in how we conducted ourselves and how we ran our administration.”
Clinton, meanwhile, said he was “grateful” to have “had a chance to do what President Kennedy said everyone should want to do: To make maximum use of the talents God gave me, and to do it in a way that benefitted other people. You can get up every day, no matter how bad it is, you can make something good happen for somebody. And that is a gift beyond imagining.”
Biden told Bush Hager that he hopes history views his presidential service in a similar way to Bush and George H.W. Bush, stating, “As generated by making sure everybody got a shot. My dad used to say, ‘Look, Joey, everyone’s entitled to a shot. Everyone’s entitled to a shot, guaranteed.’”
Today, Weekdays, 7am, NBC
I only meant to check on my daughter, but the scene inside that dining room made my blood turn cold. She was pregnant, drenched, and shaking over a sink piled high with dishes, while her husband laughed with investors and his mother watched like a queen. “Hurry up,” he snapped. “You’re humiliating me.” I walked out without a word and made one phone call. Moments later, his investors pushed back their chairs, killed the million-dollar contract, and greeted me like the person who truly held their future.
PART 1 — The Night I Discovered What My Daughter Had Been Hiding
The first thing I noticed was not the luxury.
Not the crystal chandelier hanging above the dining room.
Not the polished silverware arranged perfectly across the long wooden table.
Not the six men in expensive suits laughing over glasses of wine while discussing numbers that probably had more zeros than I wanted to count.
The first thing I noticed...
Was my daughter.
And for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Emily stood near the kitchen sink.
Barefoot.
Eight months pregnant.
Her dress was soaked from the knees down, clinging to her tired body.
Her hair stuck against her cheeks.
Her hands were red and trembling as she scrubbed a mountain of dirty dishes stacked higher than I thought one person should ever have to wash alone.
She looked nothing like the daughter I remembered.
The little girl who used to run through our backyard with muddy shoes.
The teenager who argued about bedtime but always came back five minutes later to hug me.
The young woman who promised me she would never let anyone make her feel small.
But standing there...
She looked small.
Too small.
I had only gone there because I wanted to check on her.
That was all.
Emily had missed three of my calls that week.
She usually answered immediately.
Even when she was busy.
Even when she was tired.
But lately, her messages had become shorter.
I'm okay, Mom.
Just busy.
I'll call you soon.
Every mother knows when those words are hiding something.
We may not know what the secret is.
But we know there is one.
So I drove across town that evening with a small bag of groceries and the excuse that I wanted to bring her some homemade soup.
I didn't tell myself I was worried.
Because admitting that meant something was wrong.
And I wasn't ready for that.
The house was exactly what I expected.
Huge.
Perfect.
Cold.
Daniel had always loved appearances.
Everything about his life was designed to impress people.
The expensive car.
The designer clothes.
The photographs with important people.
The stories about his business.
Especially his business.
He wanted everyone to believe he was a man destined for greatness.
And according to him, tonight was supposed to be one of the biggest nights of his career.
Important investors were visiting.
A million-dollar partnership was supposedly on the table.
That was why, when I opened the front door and heard laughter coming from the dining room, I assumed everything was normal.
Until I saw her.
At the table, Daniel sat at the center.
Like a king.
His suit was perfectly pressed.
His watch probably cost more than my first car.
He held a wine glass in one hand while explaining his vision to the men around him.
"Gentlemen," he said confidently, "success is built on trust."
Everyone listened.
Everyone smiled.
Everyone looked impressed.
Except my daughter.
She was standing behind them.
Cleaning up after them.
Daniel's mother, Marianne, sat beside him.
She was wearing a pearl necklace and the expression of someone who believed the entire room belonged to her.
The moment she noticed me, her smile disappeared.
Then she recovered.
"Well," she said loudly.
Every person at the table turned.
"Look who decided to visit without announcing herself."
Her tone was polite.
But I knew women like Marianne.
They could insult you while smiling.
"Linda."
Daniel looked over.
His smile paused for half a second.
Then it returned.
Sharp.
Controlled.
"Didn't expect to see you tonight."
Not Mom.
Not welcome.
Just my name.
I noticed.
Emily looked up.
"Mom?"
The way she said it broke my heart.
Not because she was happy to see me.
Because she sounded embarrassed.
Like she had been caught doing something shameful.
I stepped farther into the room.
My eyes never left her.
"Why is my daughter wet?"
Nobody answered immediately.
That silence told me more than any explanation could.
Daniel laughed softly.
The kind of laugh people use when they want everyone else to think the person asking questions is being unreasonable.
"Linda, relax."
He lifted his glass.
"Emily spilled some water."
I looked at the floor.
A puddle surrounded her feet.
But the explanation didn't make sense.
A glass of water didn't make a pregnant woman look terrified.
A glass of water didn't make her hands shake.
A glass of water didn't make her avoid eye contact with her own mother.
"She insisted on helping," Daniel continued.
"You know Emily."
He smiled.
"She can be dramatic."
I looked at my daughter.
"Is that true?"
Emily opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
That hurt more than anything.
Because my daughter had never been afraid to speak.
Not with me.
Not ever.
But now...
She was measuring every word.
Every breath.
Every reaction.
Marianne placed her wine glass down.
"A wife should support her husband."
Her voice was calm.
Almost reasonable.
Especially when heard by strangers.
"Daniel has important people here tonight. The least Emily can do is make things easier for him."
I stared at her.
"By washing dishes?"
Marianne smiled.
"By being useful."
The word hung in the air.
Useful.
Not loved.
Not respected.
Useful.
One of the investors shifted uncomfortably.
Another looked down at his plate.
They noticed.
They all noticed.
But nobody wanted to be the first person to say something.
Because powerful people often create rooms where everyone sees the truth...
And nobody wants to touch it.
I walked closer to Emily.
Only then did I see everything.
The raw skin around her fingers.
The exhaustion under her eyes.
The way one hand kept protecting her stomach.
The way she stood carefully, as if every movement hurt.
And behind her...
A basket full of wet towels.
A cracked glass near her bare feet.
A kitchen floor that looked like she had been cleaning for hours.
Then Daniel spoke.
Without looking at her.
"Emily."
Her shoulders immediately tightened.
"Yes?"
"Move faster."
The entire room went quiet.
"You are making us look bad."
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
This was the man my daughter married.
The man who promised to protect her.
The man who held her hand when she told us she was pregnant.
The man who looked into my eyes and promised:
"I'll take care of her."
But now...
He was sitting comfortably while she stood barefoot in water.
Emily whispered:
"I'm fine, Mom."
But she wasn't.
And we both knew it.
I slowly placed the grocery bag on the table.
Then I looked around the room.
At the investors.
At Marianne.
At Daniel.
And finally...
At my daughter.
Something inside me changed.
Because I understood something in that moment.
Daniel thought I was powerless.
He thought I was just Linda, an older woman with a modest home and an ordinary life.
He thought he could humiliate my daughter in front of me and face no consequences.
What he didn't know...
Was that I had spent years quietly building something he never bothered to ask about.
I had allowed people to underestimate me.
Because arrogant people reveal themselves when they believe no one can stop them.
I looked at Daniel.
And I smiled.
Not because I was calm.
But because I finally knew exactly who I was dealing with.
And he had no idea...
That the woman he thought was harmless was about to become the biggest problem his empire had ever faced.
