NEWSJenna Bush Hager Says a 'Dream' About Joining Dad George W. Bush's Campaign Led to Meeting Her Husband: 'I Just Felt We Should Help Him'
Jenna Bush Hager opened up about a dream of George W. Bush's campaign trail.
Oct. 20 2026, Published 2:44 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager revealed how a dream led her to meet her husband.
The anchor opened up about her decision to help her father, George W. Bush, with his 2004 re-election bid on the October 20 episode of TODAY With Jenna and Sheinelle.
"I was supposed to teach in New York," she explained. "And I had a dream. I just felt that we should help my dad."
'He's Done Everything for Me'
Jenna Bush Hager had a dream about helping George W. Bush.
Jenna's father served two stints in the White House from the time she was 19 in 2001 until she was 27 in 2009.
Prior to her dream, Jenna regretfully admitted that she and her twin sister, Barbara, had done little to help him with his campaign or dealing with the stress of being the nation's leader.
"He'd done everything for Barbara and me," she gushed. "And we had not done one thing. So I was graduating from college and I called him and I said, 'I want to just spend the fall campaigning for you.'"
Henry Hager and Jenna Bush Hager married in 2008 and now have three children.
Jenna recalled her father being "shocked" by her phone call, based on her and her sister's previous lack of interest.
"We had not even shown up to, like, the bare minimum," she laughed. "So I moved to D.C., and that's where I met my husband."
Jenna met Henry Hager when she was 23 and he was 26, while he was working for her father. They married in 2008 and have since welcomed three children: Mila, 13, Poppy, 11, and Hal, 7.
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'I Wouldn't Have Had My Kids'
Jenna Bush Hager admitted she and her sister had done little to help her dad.
"I wouldn't have had my three kids," she exclaimed.
Her comments came after the guest on her morning show, Ina Garten, spoke about her habit of asking people about the "sliding doors moment" that altered the course of their lives.
"I had a difficult childhood, and I think my sliding doors moment is when I met [my husband], Jeffrey," the celebrity chef explained. "He made me feel like I could do anything. We all need one person like that."
Jenna Bush Hager has gushed about her husband in the past.
Jenna has previously gushed about similar supportive attributes in her own husband when discussing their family dynamic on her morning show.
"Henry is the best," she revealed. "He's introduced me to all sorts of things that I love. He was an Eagle Scout, so we go hiking together, we do all these things."
"But what's cool is we're both interested in growing and he's not the type that's like, 'Oh, I don't want to go see that show, or I don't want to do that,'" she added. "He's open and that's so fun."
