Transcripts For CSPAN2 Sisters First 20170704

Life to have a twin. We always had a partnerr everything we were doing. Whether it was ordinary experience going up in texas, everything was more fun. There was someone to main it more magical. Then of course, being first daughters we had someone else going through the same experiences with us. That understood what life was like. So, so i guess above everything we feel like were sisters first and daughters. We all play roles in life. We started off entering the world together as sisters. Makes me want to cry. Jenna bush hager, your sister described your life ordinary. Was your life ordinary . Youre so normal on tv. Sort of a strange thing to hear because you know, we want to thing of ourselves as special but we are normal. Our grandparents, we write, a all of what made us who we are. But our grandparents on my moms side. Who dont have been on cspan interviewed by people like you, whose names are only because we repeat them are, were from midland, texas. My grandpa was a homebuilder. He built a lot of midland, one of our both, jenna, who i am named after, my moms mom, jenna and harold welch were as much of our lives as george and barbara bush. They were cornerstone. Midland, texas, is just as much of our life as washington, d. C. We have this juxtaposition in life people dont realize. I think weve been through things on the outside that people have witnessed. But there is losses personal joys and struggles that were going to share in this book i think will surprise people. Host from your upcoming book, for years, right up until this day when we walk into a room or restaurant, or almost any public space together we invariably hear, oh, look, it is the bush twins. At sometimes followed by an eye roll, then the place will fall uncomfortably quiet. Oh, those wild bush twins. When did you understand that you had lost the public narrative about your own lives . Its a good question. I really think when we were 18, so when my dad become president , we were, when he was running for president we were entering college. En until then jennas point we were living in texas. We went to a big public high school, austin high, that is like every other, you know, almost madefortv public high school. There is cheerleaders and jocks, marching band and that whole vibe and then when we were 18 and our dad started running for president , all of sudden we became more aware that other people had narratives of us, that may or may not be true. There is always a little bit of truth in a stereotype or narrative. So after he was president , that was a time when there wasnt actually luck luckily for us there wasnt a lot of social media. Hall you hallelujah. We couldnt own our narrative and we wanted to experience the world, not more than how did other people perceive us really. I think also, what is interesting is that anybody can relate with the fact that when youre part of siblings or part of a group or part of work colleagues, somehow you get characterized as one way or the other. So we have had a really interesting time writing this book because some times people would say, oh, still people say it, youre the loud one. But really if people knew us, barbara is far more independent and really outgoing. She commutes from rwanda as a job. She has the most amazing confidence. It shines, those that know her see it. Then you kind of wonder, everybody can wonder, are there stereotypes of you . You play into that more because that is what people think of you . It has been really fun for us to explore that. We have seen people we lovely, dearly, our grandmother, grandfather, father and mother stereotypes in certain ways. Some of those stereotypes are true. Easy to simplify people. Call them one word as opposed for who they really are. We see this with cable news, no offense to cspan too, we love you, with the way we simplify public figures and really people are complicated. And were complicated. Weve been characterized as onel way and i think it is fun toto share a story to tell who we are. Host one of the story themes are during the white house years for your father, you went to ut, you went to yale, you did it purposefully so you wouldnt be together . Partially. E also i couldnt get into yale. Host [laughter] lets be honest. If i could have gone into yale, i would have had a different narrative. Were very different, i think thank goodness, as a mother now im such in you awe of this, we werent compared. Barbara missed one or two problems on her s. A. T. S. I missed several more than one or two. We were really celebrated for who we were. I love to write. I love to perform. My parents applauded that. They never made fee feel i was lesser. God, i would need serious therapy. You earned that. I us going to different schools. I wasnted to leave texas. I was curious to go to other places, meet new people. I didnt know a Single Person at yale. It was fun for me, challenge of walking in, thinking what am i made of, can i meet people . But the beauty of it is, we boto got double the friends. I could become friends with all of jennas friends from university of texas. She is close with my friends from yale. Also, there was real, kind of blessing in it too. Host mom, i was kidnapped. Is that part of okay. Host yeah. There were all thes stereotypes, that secret service pictures in the College Years that my friend, that is not true. As a firstgrader at Preston Hollow elementary, i did fake my own kidnapping. Im twinkle. That was my secret service code name. Host since you were young . I that is a good question. I dont know if we had code names when my grandpa wasy president. We had only secret service for short period. We should investigate that. Twinkle was my name when my dad became president. Barbara was turquois. It was based off our eyes. I had a twinkle in my eye. That had to do with mischief. Barbara has beautiful turquoise. Eyes. As a firstgrader i had a wildmi imagination. And my son but it is complicated. Ad instead of getting in trouble i acted like, by the way my story was perfectly flawless. Exactly what you read or see ine all the movies. Host gray van. Bald, beard. Candy. Puppy would have been too far. Host what is laura bushs demeanor. My mom is unbelievably calm. She can sit us down with one look. Never even needs to raise her voice. Ra she is so calm and she was not happy, to be honest. I cant help but think found it sort of hilarious. Maybe not. After you had to tell the secret serviceman you had not been kidnapped. I faked my own kidnapping. Host you say the store heries are inaccurate but there was a long term story about you, toll booth, yale, cars. Yale, that did in fact happened but unintentional. You didnt write about that. That is not that good of a story. By the way, this is how, how the world was back then. I dont even know this story. I was with friends from yale. Oddly enough we were boeing to a prowrestling federation event in new york. What . T . I dont know. W. Well be with Chris Jericho by the way. Chris jericho is here. We can relive the story. I driving with friend back from new york through one of the tolls. I was car had to pass. We went through. Secret service we have one week, you have to include this. So, we lost them. But then, it ended up from one of my dorm wrote about it. Became this whole oh, it did. Kind of a life of its own. Im pretty sure in National Enquirer are found a life of its own. Ho host maybe i should readti the New York Times more than National Enquirer. National enquirer should we have intervention . So that did happen but it was accidental you have to write about that. Im tired of being only bad twin. Believe me there are plenty of stories. Host margaritas often, will that be in the book . Sure will. What is really fun any is that right about grampy, my dads dad, unbelievable stories of him, things that moved me,d make me want to cry right now that is easy to write, because it meant so much to me. Writing about margaritas in austin, not that i feelgu defensive about it, it happened. It wasnt this crazy memory that meant so much later although i will say that our parent always said when they told us they were going to run or he was going to run for president , like teenagers will do, with cried. O it will ruin our life. He said, i want you to have normal, this isnt going to change. That was sort of naive on all of our parts. You can have a normal college experience. That is what i want for you. You can have it. So when we got in trouble, everybody i thinks that there, based on it. V, sort of stereotypes there was a spin room that tried to spin it. My parent were furious. Im sure they were disappointed. I know they were disappointed but more than they were also sad that they promised this normalcy that was not delivered upon and, happy, that i had parent thatthp allowed us to make mistakes. Imagine if we were perfect, life would be horribly boring. Bl i dont think we could do it. No. It would be too much pressure to be political daughters thatda never made a mistake, never able to stick our tongue out for example, let their hair down. As a mom, i cant now, with two little girls im so thankful my parents allowed us to explore our own path, make mistakes and breed these humans and learn about empathy and caring and big world and how much if we care we can bring life to it. D had we night, i dont know if i could be a good mom. Im not sure if we were told to be this one particular thing that wasnt ourselves, i could be a mother of my own girls, not understanding you know, that it is okay to mess up. Host speaking of mothers, write that laura bush was theus family closet hippie rastafarian. Was. Littleknown fact. Our mom loves music, loves reggae, love is. Growing up we always had reggaes music playing. We have a number of our experiences with our mom hearing great music starting in first grade. Paul simon was on tour for graceland. My mom took is with her. When youre in first grade were this tall. So we sat and i will never forget it. A number of other memories i was thinking about when i was nine, you could get one care package. People would write their parents, ask them to send cd. Big deal to get a cd player. Everyone was getting new kids on the block. My mom sent me, cheap trick live at bukakan. She wouldnt say this because she is so demure and wasnt controlling. I think deep inside as as at asa fairian. She loved van morrison. That she would leave my dad forn van morrison. Host browneyed girl. That was my theme song. Host Jenna Bush Hager what are you doing . Im working for the today show. That is very fun and ironic. We hid from the media. I literally ran from, i, my dad is on one man campaign to end the word literally. My fouryearold mom says, told me not to two. Literally said that. What did you just say . They will be furious. How literally become a word like like. People throw it in as a but this is true. I literally ran, in the opposite direction from David Gregory on the steps of the white house when i went for a run around the mall. He we spent years hiding from media but i work for them and ironic. It shows life is unexpected and take crazy turns. If youre so rigid what you want your life to be, you can never experience beauty of growing and changing. I think it also shows you that you cant judge people. I had a lot of stereotypes of a lot of people i work with, guthrie is one of my very best friends. She has a childrens book. R princess wears parents. This is Something Different than who she is. This is goes what were trying to talk about ourselves. People are actually more complicated than we hugely think. Host this is not the first book you coauthored. Thats true. I have written two childrens books, two childrens books with my mom, who is a very vivacious editor. She is little more complicated to work with. It youre less. Thank you. Dont teller i said that. Ou i wont either. Host why did you write it . Why did i . I dont know that i hid from the media. Im a very private person even writing this book was a leap for me. Im so proud of her. She was very honest and raw. Thank you. There were things i learned about her, even today i learned that, we wrote in silos. I just read her part and i was blown away. Thank you. I think we again were in college and young. The idea of additional attention on us was unwoman for thible. And i think, it is ironic jenna is on tv now. When we were younger we really, our life in college really was about going to school, our friend, figuring out what we wanted to do and how to explore the difference we wanted to make in the world. W starting our career and so much of that is personal. It was very prescient. I would say i, still hide from the media except for doing this. She is coming, she will on tour together. Yes. Host book comes out in october . October 24th. Host barbara bush, what are you doing . I run an organization which focuses on competitively recruiting amazing solving continuing to solve the most pressing Health Issues through the rest of their lives and our lives. It is helpful way to wake up every day knowing that there iss almost 1000 amazing young people who are passionate about serving others making sure they can livn a healthy, dignified life. Global health corps. Global health corporation. Doing awesome work. Ion. Host final question, sorority or fraternity among white house kids. Do you talk with the johnson girls or women, or nixon women . We definitely have. Definitely with chelsea and malia and sasha. With malia sasha, unbelievably protective of them. People thought it was odd how protective we were but it isnt. We saw ourselves, which saw ourr little sells then when our grandpop became president. When they left the white house, same age we were when our dad became president. Being a teenager with your dad as president is incredibly rewarding. Yeah. We have had, we kind of with them. We just heard back from them. We pen very open letters to them. We heard back in a private way. Im just so proud for the groupe seems like most recent have been women and i do think were partn of a group of really awesome women who have each others backs. I think that is the whole point of this book. And were part of a group that likes that. Youre part of the clan. Well not leave men out. Host given your experience, what do you think is going to parent come to mind as she gets ready to move i hope what is going through his mine. He is in elementary school. That is school and friends and playing sports, doing whatever hobbies that he is good at. He deserves to be a kid. And he is a kid. We should treat him like that. Give him respect that all of us, didnt always have but we mostly did. I think, i think children of the president s should be off limits period. You can say what you want his father who chose to run but he didnt make that decision. He was, he is in elementary school. When people attack children of president s who dont, arent political, who dont have a say, it makes us mad. Host cover of the book. It is called sisters first,or stories from our wild and wonderful life. You know where that comes from . Stories from our wild and wonderful life . Mary olson story. What you plan to do with one wild and special life. So host i didnt read aboutut that in the National Enquirer. Sometimes they do in the crosswords. Thank you. Thank you so much. Host the book is out in october. Thanks for being with us. Thank you