Jenna Bush Hager Has Always Had A Soft Spot For Sasha And Malia Obama
It is not easy being the child of an American president. Given that a president's entire family gets thrown into the spotlight, missteps from any member can reflect onto the family as a whole. Even children of those holding other federal government positions are not spared, such as Kellyanne Conway's daughter Claudia.
Helping a parent keep a favorable public image is a heavy burden to bear at any age. However, some members of America's first family have been quite young. President Grover Cleveland even had two of his children born during his presidency. Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush were in college when their father President George W. Bush was inaugurated as president in 2001. Malia and Sasha Obama were 10 and seven respectively when their father President Barack Obama became president eight years after Bush.
While being in the public eye is stressful, living in a mansion sounds like fun for young children. Bush Hager enjoyed showing the Obama girls around and has had a soft spot for them both ever since.
The Bush twins let the Obama girls in on White House secrets
In 2020, Jenna Bush Hager posted a photo of herself on Instagram with Malia and Sasha Obama taken not long after President Barack Obama was elected. She included some fun memories in the caption, stating, "Barbara [Pierce Bush] and I taught the girls how to slide down the banister and all the secrets of the White House we loved as little girls — the best hiding spots, the movie theatre, and bowling alley. We showed them our rooms that would soon be theirs."
Bush Hager and twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush had some post-White House advice for the Obama girls as well. In an open letter in TIME, they encouraged the Obama girls to remember the "wonderful people who work at the White House," explaining that they kept in touch with some of these people even into adulthood. "Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes—you are allowed to," they shared. The Bush twins concluded by offering their continued support as well. "As always, [your parents] will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we," the letter continued.
Jenna Bush Hager said she is 'fiercely protective' over Malia and Sasha Obama
When speaking to Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2020, Jenna Bush Hager explained the "sisterhood" that she shares with former White House children, a group that includes not just Malia and Sasha Obama but also Chelsea Clinton. Bush Hager frequently saw Clinton in New York City pre-pandemic and she and the Obamas reach out to each other often. "It's so few of us that we know, you know, what it's like and the beauty of it and living history and also some of the difficulties," Bush Hager stated.
In 2018, Michelle Obama shared her love for Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush as well. "I will love them forever for what kind of support they provided to my daughters," the former first lady gushed to Good Morning America. "They always had their backs. [If] somebody went after them in the press, Jenna would get in there and say something." An example of this was when a former staffer made negative comments about Malia and Sasha online in 2014. "I'm fiercely protective of them," Bush Hager replied in an interview later that year. "They're great girls ... they've done an incredible job."