US President Donald Trump praised Second Lady Usha Vance during a special Independence Day edition of her children's literacy podcast, calling her "so popular around the White House" and telling her, "Everybody loves you." Trump appeared as the guest reader on Storytime with the Second Lady, hosted by Usha Vance from the Oval Office, where the pair read Presidents Play!, a children's book published by the White House Historical Association.
Throughout the programme, Vance guided Trump through the book while discussing former presidents, the White House and the importance of reading with children. The conversation concluded on a personal note as Trump thanked Vance for inviting him to the programme.
"So here's the book, and they've really done a great job. Publication, White House Historical Association," Trump said before turning to Vance. "And I'm doing this for a great Second Lady, and she's been so popular around the White House. Everybody loves you. It's a great honour."
Vance responded by returning the compliment. "Well, it's a great honour for us. Thank you so much for inviting all the children watching into the Oval Office today," she said before asking Trump what advice he would give children celebrating the Fourth of July.
The episode opened with Vance welcoming viewers to the White House instead of her usual reading setting. "I'm Usha Vance, and welcome back to Storytime with the Second Lady," she said. "As you probably noticed, we're not in our normal reading nook today.
Instead, we're actually across the street at the White House, where the President of the United States lives." She introduced Trump as the day's "special reader" and invited him to explain the significance of the Oval Office to young viewers. Trump described the Oval Office as "the most powerful piece of real estate probably in the world" and praised Vice President JD Vance, saying, "Your husband's been a great vice president.
I have to tell you, we've had a lot of fun working together, even in times of great stress, because the world is under stress, but we're solving a lot of the problems." The US President also joked about making it "mandatory" for his 11 grandchildren to watch the programme after Vance expressed hope that they would tune in.
"I'll make sure they watch. I'll make it mandatory," Trump said, before adding with a laugh, "That won't mean anything, that means they still won't do it." The podcast is part of an initiative launched by the Second Lady to encourage children to read through stories featuring guest readers from public life.
During the episode, Trump and Vance discussed the recreational interests of past US presidents while reading from the illustrated book. Usha Vance became the first Indian-American Second Lady of the United States after Vice President J D Vance took office in January 2025.
A lawyer by training, she has made children's literacy and education one of the signature themes of her public engagements. Her Storytime with the Second Lady series has featured senior administration officials and other guests reading children's books to young audiences.