Yahoo Lifestyle Jenna Bush Hager Blames ‘Bad Influence’ for Dad’s Viral Inauguration Moment
Jenna Bush Hager is explaining the reason for dad George W. Bush's "goofy" behavior during Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, in which he was seen trying to stifle his laughter, raising his eyebrows, making silly faces and more.
"You all already guessed what moment has been blowing up our family group chat," Bush Hager, 43, said on Today on Tuesday, Jan. 21. "Yeah, my dad went viral for these cutaway shots during yesterday's broadcast. The internet's obsessed with this little smile and goofy expression."
The news anchor went on to playfully put the blame on her dad's neighbor in the audience, joking that the 43rd president must've been influenced by another former commander in chief.
"You guys, you can't just blame him because it looks like my dad was also seated next to a bad influence. Take a look at what former President Barack Obama had to say," she said, referencing a clip of Obama, 63, foreshadowing the unlikely duo's behavior in a quick comment earlier in the day. (When a White House staffer asked Bush, 78, if he was "going to behave" during the inauguration, Obama answered for him, saying, "Nope!")
Bush Hager added, "I just love how when they're together, they become unusual friends."
Bush's reactions quickly got the meme treatment on social media, with users playfully poking fun at Bush's facial expressions.
"George W. Bush looks like he put a whoopee cushion on Hillary [Clinton's] seat and he’s anxiously waiting for her to sit on it," wrote one X user. Another said, "George W. Bush at the inauguration is me when I see the waitress bringing my food."
Upon leaving the inauguration, Obama joked to a reporter that Bush "just barely" behaved; however, Bush Hager appeared to politely disagree with the former POTUS.
"He goes viral for basically anything. He didn't do anything. I mean, that's what his face looks like," she later told guest host Scarlett Johansson during Tuesday's Jenna & Friends, adding that in her opinion, her dad was "very well-behaved."
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