George W. Bush kicked off his 75th birthday celebrations on the Today show on Tuesday, recalling how his family threw him a dance party at Camp David for his 60th and the ‘poo-poo cushion’ his daughter Jenna Bush Hager had bought him one year.
The former President joined a video call from the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, to have a laugh-filled chat with Jenna, 39, and her co-host Hoda Kotb, 56, during the show’s fourth hour.
Bush joked that his birthdays aren’t as celebrated as they were in the ‘old days,’ but he noted that his wife, Laura, and Jenna’s twin sister, Barbara, had both wished him a happy birthday that morning.
Big day: Former President George W. Bush celebrated his 75th birthday on the Today show on Tuesday, joining a video chat with his daughter Jenna Bush Hager and her co-host Hoda Kotb
Memories: The former president recalled how Jenna, 39, bought him a ‘poo-poo cushion’ one year, and she corrected her dad, explaining that it was a ‘whoopee cushion’
When asked if he felt 75, he joked: ‘Well, it just seemed like yesterday I felt like I was 74.’
Jenna had mentioned previously in the segment that her dad was young at heart, and aside from some pain in his hip, he was feeling great, which he confirmed.
‘No, it’s all in your mind, Jen,’ he said of aging. ‘It’s all in your mind. I don’t feel it. I don’t feel five years shy of 80. Let me put it to you that way.’
Hoda wanted to know if Jenna has given him any ‘cool’ gifts over the years, and the former president’s response definitely surprised her.
‘Well, one year she gave me a poo-poo cushion,’ he said, prompting laughter.
Looking back: Jenna shared how her family surprised him with a ‘dance party’ with a DJ at Camp David when he turned 60 in 2006
Major milestone: President Bush also celebrated his 60th birthday at the Chicago Firehouse restaurant with Mayer Richard Daley in 2006 (pictured)
‘Dad, a poo-poo cushion is not the name of it,’ Jenna corrected him. ‘A whoopee cushion!’
The former first daughter pointed out other ways they have celebrated her dad’s birthday, recalling the dance party they threw him at Camp David in 2006 when he was president.
‘Do you remember when we threw you a party?’ she asked. ‘I think it was maybe for your 65th or 60th? And we threw you a party. We surprised him at Camp David.
‘His best friends from Midland were there, and then we had a DJ have a dance party. Remember the DJ came in during dinner and we had this really hilarious dance party.’
When Jenna joked that her dad’s dance moves are ’75 years old,’ he noted: ‘I learned those 55 years ago.’
Throwback: In honor of Bush’s milestone birthday, the show shared photos of him as a child, including a baby photo of him with his parents, Barbara and George H.W. Bush
Aww! Jenna and Hoda were particularly taken with a black and white photo of her father riding a horse as a kid
Like twins! The show also shared side-by-side pictures of Jenna’s 23-month-old son, Hal, (left) and his grandfather (right) to show their uncanny resemblance
They then took a walk down memory lane, pulling up old photos of Bush when he was a child — including side-by-side pictures of him and Jenna’s 23-month-old son, Hal, to show how much the toddler takes after his grandpa.
‘He’s a little more handsome than I was in those days,’ Bush said of his only grandson. ‘Hal’s a cute boy.’
The Today show hosts also brought up Bush’s artwork and the portrait he painted of Jenna, which she has made clear she is not a fan of.
‘I like it! She doesn’t,’ Bush said.
‘Well, can you just try to think out my face a little bit? Just a little bit please,’ Jenna asked, prompting her dad to reply: ‘Look, I can only paint it the way it is, hon.’
Hilarious: When asked about his portrait of Jenna, which she isn’t a fan of, Bush insisted that he likes it, telling his daughter: ‘Look, I can only paint it the way it is, hon’
Thoughts? ‘Dad, too much texture. That’s the issue. There’s a lot of stuff going on here,’ Jenna insisted, admitting she tried to give the painting to Hoda
She’s not the only one! Bush noted that his wife, Laura, was a tougher critic than Jenna when he painted her portrait, telling his daughter: ‘You were a little kinder about it than your mother’
‘Dad, too much texture. That’s the issue. There’s a lot of stuff going on here,’ Jenna insisted, admitting she tried to give the painting to Hoda.
Bush suggested Hoda put the painting in her guest bathroom. He went on to say that he has been painting a lot, mostly flowers and rocks.
‘I’m surrounded by flowers, beautiful flowers, and magnificent coastline. It tends to be my subject matter,’ he explained.
Jenna pointed out that the ‘good thing about flowers and rocks’ is that ‘they can’t talk back if they don’t like their portrait’ — unlike some people in their family.
‘The two toughest painting subjects were you and your mother, but you were a little kinder about it than your mother when I painted her,’ Bush admitted to his daughter.
Precious: Earlier this year, Jenna shared the portraits her father painted of her son, Hal
Resemblance: The former president perfectly captured his only grandson’s likeness in the paintings, which he signed 43
Thoughtful: While the first painting shows Hal giving a toothy grin, the second is more serious
Jenna noted that she thinks her mother’s portrait is ‘actually really good’ and asked if he still had it because she wants to take it.
‘Still got it, but I tried to make it better per her instructions,’ Bush said. ‘I’m not sure where it stands now, but it’s at the ranch.’
Jenna also has a lot of love for the portraits her father painted of her son Hal, which he gave her for Christmas last year.
She shared photos of the paintings on Instagram at the time, writing: ‘My favorite Christmas gift. My Hal painted by his Jefe. @georgewbush Love how you see our precious boy. These bring me joy.’
The conversation ended with Bush thanking Jenna and Hoda for video chatting with him on his birthday, saying: ‘It makes an old guy feel young.’