In a letter, the Bush sisters offer advice and encouragement to Sasha and Malia Obama
Next week, Malia and Sasha Obama will leave the White House and join a small club comprising the children of former presidents. Two members — Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush Hager — are already reaching out to welcome them.
In a letter posted on Time, the Bush twins recalled meeting the Obama sisters eight years ago, showing them the Lincoln Bedroom and introducing the girls to the florists, butlers, landscapers, and other people who make the White House a home. "The four of us wandered the majestic halls of the house you had no choice but to move in to," the twins wrote. "When you slid down the banister of the solarium, just as we had done as 8-year-olds and again as 20-year-olds chasing our youth, your joy and laughter were contagious."
Over the last eight years, as Malia and Sasha attended state dinners, went on hikes in national parks, and took a trip to Africa with Michelle Obama to talk with girls about the importance of education, "we have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease," the letter says. "And through it all, you had each other. Just like we did." The Obama girls have "lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House," Bush and Bush Hager wrote, having to listen to "harsh criticism of your parents by people who had never even met them." The president and first lady will "be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter," the letter ends. "And so will we."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
US citizens are carrying passports amid ICE fearsThe Explainer ‘You do what you have to do to avoid problems,’ one person told The Guardian
-
All roads to Ukraine-Russia peace run through DonetskIN THE SPOTLIGHT Volodymyr Zelenskyy is floating a major concession on one of the thorniest issues in the complex negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
-
Why is Trump killing off clean energy?Today's Big Question The president halts offshore wind farm construction
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
