Jenna Bush Hager Says Her Dad Is a Feminist and Knows That's Kind of Hard to Believe

As she raises a family of her own, Jenna Bush Hager is reflecting on the way she was raised and its positive effect on her parenting approach. In a recent interview with People, the NBC correspondent and mom of two said, "I think the thing that my parents did so well and might surprise people, although I don't know why, is that they really wanted us to be curious, independent thinkers."

Moments later, Hager identified her father, former president George W. Bush, as a feminist. She said, "People laugh at this, but I think my dad was a feminist. He showed us that we could be whatever we wanted to be. I want my girls to feel that way. I want them to feel strong and capable and feel like they can conquer the world."

As Hager admitted herself, people might laugh in disbelief because the former president has never outright identified as a feminist, although his views have seemingly become more progressive in recent years.

At another point, Hager shared a sweet anecdote from her childhood. Along with her twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush, Hager said she "always felt sorry for the boys in [their] class because our dad led us to believe that we were the smartest, most capable kids out there."