On Today With Hoda & Jenna, the anchors took a moment to reflect on the recent news that President Joe Biden will be dropping out of the presidential election amid growing pressure from Democrats.
Jenna Bush Hager, whose father and grandfather held office in the ’90s and early aughts, praised President Biden for making the “admirable” yet “difficult” decision to drop out of the race.
Speaking to her co-host Hoda Kotb, Bush Hager admitted that the president sometimes reminded her of her own grandfather, George H.W. Bush, who was “crushed” when he lost the 1992 presidential election to Bill Clinton.
“I think he kind of reminds everybody of their grandpa, he reminds me a little bit of my grandfather,” she said with a laugh.
She recalled, “I’ll never forget when, in 1992, he worked so hard and he wasn’t elected and he was crushed, and he wrote a letter to President Clinton which went around on the internet but the end of it was, ‘You are my president. And today, I am rooting for you.'”
The letter she’s referencing was written for President Clinton on the day of his inauguration in 1993. It read, “You will be our President when you read this note… Your success is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck.”
She also pointed to a social media post from Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, that certainly resonated with her. “I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President, Joe Biden,” Naomi wrote.
Bush Hager told Kotb that it’s important in moments like these to “remember that people are human. And that, to her, that’s her grandpa.”
“I assume this was a hard decision. A lot of one-term presidents don’t feel like the job has been done and yet he made the choice. He said in his statement because it was the best [decision] for the country,” she continued, calling it an “admirable” move on Biden’s part.
The conversation was a departure from the show’s regular programming as the fourth hour of Today is best known for being apolitical and entertainment-focused. But Bush Hager has a singular perspective to share on recent political events considering her family’s long history with the White House.
Bush Hager has shared some personal stories about her father, former POTUS George W. Bush, on the show, including the time he drove his car into the garage and the fact that he found Will Ferrel‘s SNL impersonations of him “hilarious.”
Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.