NEWSJenna Bush Hager Reveals Grandfather George H.W. Bush Took Her on Disney Cruise After Losing 1992 Presidential Election
Jenna Bush Hager revealed grandfather George H.W. Bush took her on a Disney cruise after losing the 1992 presidential election.
March 6 2026, Published 1:29 p.m. ET
George H.W. Bush moved on from his 1992 presidential election loss with the help of…Mickey Mouse?
During the Friday, March 6, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, Jenna Bush Hager revealed her grandfather brought the family on a Disney cruise at the end of his campaign.
George H.W. Bush lost the presidential election in 1992.
“I’ve been on a couple of cruises. I love a cruise. It depends how big the cruise is,” the talk show host, 44, started. “When my grandfather lost being president, he took us all on the Disney cruise…I’m not sure he understood when he stood in the all-you-can-eat buffet that people were going to be like, ‘George Bush!’ and stand up and go to his table.”
Bush Hager was 18 years old at the time and admitted she was a bit too mature for Disney.
“I loved Mickey, don’t get me wrong. I loved him at 8, I loved him at 18, but I was more into karaoke with the chipmunks, late night. I had all my cousins and was like, ‘Let’s go late night at the disco! We’re in the Bahamas now, it’s legal!’” she recalled.
Co-host Sheinelle Jones thought it was “hilarious” the former president got recognized, while Bush Hager lamented, “Poor guy.”
Jenna Bush Hager went on a Disney cruise with her grandfather.
The women were reflecting on Nicole Kidman’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the actress gushed over cruises.
“I went on a cruise, I actually went on a cruise with lots of strangers, which I loved,” the Big Little Lies star told Jimmy Fallon. “I am now the cruise [girl]. I love cruises…I love doing karaoke night. I just love all the different restaurants.”
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Sheinelle Jones Is Not a Fan of Cruises
Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones discussed Nicole Kidman's love of cruises.
Jones is not as open to cruises as Bush Hager, but Kidman’s words started to convince her to give a trip at sea a try.
“This is the power of marketing or when people get a spokesperson to say whatever. I’ve never been on a cruise, but she just kind of sold it,” the 47-year-old said. “I love karaoke…that sounds kind of fun. For a long time, I was a little hesitant, and I have been hesitant, about being in the middle of the water and not being able to see land.”
How Did George H.W. Bush React to Losing the Presidential Election?
George H.W. Bush became 'a bit of a surrogate father' to Bill Clinton.
Bush took his presidential loss in stride, whether through taking his family on vacation or establishing a solid friendship with his successor, Bill Clinton.
“President Clinton beat my grandfather and my grandfather was crushed. He ran a hard campaign, and he was crushed about it,” Bush Hager explained in November 2022. “Then after a few years, they were put together by my dad to raise funds for a bunch of different things. He became a bit of a surrogate father for him.”
