George W Bush isn’t squeamish, says Hanks
TOM HANKS has been a regular at the White House for more than a minute, so he’s seen plenty of behind-the-scenes action at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – including… the president handling some dead wildlife on the grounds.
Hanks recently shared his favourite White House memory, a story he says his family has been “dining out on” for years.
Here’s how it goes, per the actor’s account on a recent podcast: Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were at the executive mansion for the dedication of the World War II memorial, which would have been in 2004, he told the host of Sooo Many White Guys on WNYC.
Wilson happened to run into President George W Bush (who was wearing his gym clothes) and Bush offered them an impromptu tour of the Rose Garden. On the way, they encountered a surprise.
“I swear to God, there was a dead black bird in the grass,” Hanks recalled. “He picks up the bird with his bare hands and says, ‘That’s a shame… we get these all the time at the ranch…’ and threw the bird in the bushes.”
Now that’s a cocktail party talking point.
Hanks also remembered the story of his first gift of a coffee maker to the White House media gallery, which he visited in the 1990s.
“I went back and saw their coffee area, this sad little drip kind of thing,” he said. “I said ‘I’m going to send you a decent coffee machine’.”
Hanks recently sent a fancy new model to the caffeine-addled fourth estate with an encouraging note. “I thought, ‘probably time to re-up’.” – Washington Post