Books

Trump Likes Books — Just Don't Ask Which Ones

NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

In a recent interview, Trump declared that he is a fan of books. Okay, fine. Which books? Hey man, Trump said he likes books, so he likes books, just don't ask him which books, he just likes books, like those books, those books on the bookshelf over there. Books, books, Trump, excellent, books, likes, books.

Happy Inauguration day, folks. Welcome to the next four years.

Conducted by Politico founder Mike Allen, for his new outlet, Axios, the interview is partially available here. In it, Allen asks Trump about reading - a simple enough question, and predictable, given his predecessor's well-documented love of books.

...Right? Mmmm, well...

Two things are definitely for sure: Trump knows what a book is, and he owns some.

He initially gestures towards his bookshelf, stating, "Well, you can see some of them over there. You can see some of them right over here." When pressed for specific book recommendations, Trump says, "I like a lot of books. I like reading books. I don't have the time to read very much now in terms of the books, but I like reading them."

Trump almost, accidentally, recommends "the CNN book," which he does own - but don't worry, his interviewer reminds him that he thinks CNN is fake news. So that's a no to "the CNN book," which is actually called Unprecedented. "These are two books that are good, this one and this one. That one, you know," concludes Trump. Got it, thanks!

Though hardly surprising, this lack of literary adroitness falls poignantly opposite to Obama, who has stated that reading served as a coping mechanism over the past eight years. If you'd like some actual presidential book recommendations, here are all of the books that Obama suggested people read throughout his presidency, here are the books that he says helped him through the White House, and here are the books Obama recommended to his daughter as she prepared for college. Thanks, Obama.