President discusses weight, reading habits in Oval Office interview

The president discussed his reading habits, waistline, and comments on past presidents during an interview taped inside the Oval Office and released Friday. The 80-year-old Republican sat beside a stack of books and answered questions about whether he finds time for pleasure reading. He said he mostly reads newspapers and stories about himself.

Interview details He recalled a childhood book titled Run, Spot, Run before opening Presidents Play, which shows illustrations of presidents in various activities. " When the book reached William Howard Taft, described as the heaviest president, the president joked about his own weight.

"I have to be careful because I don’t want to supersede his record," he said. The interview was conducted for a podcast focused on child literacy.