presdential matters

Gather ’Round, People, and Listen to Tom Hanks’s Story About George W. Bush and a Dead Bird

Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images

George W. Bush has been getting a lot of publicity as of late due to some fashionable poncho choices and his use of the phrase “weird as shit.” According to the rule of threes, that means we’re due for another Dubya anecdote that’s just as kooky. Ask and you shall receive, folks, because noted national treasure Tom Hanks is here to share a little tale about a White House visit he made during Bush’s administration, and it features a holy trinity of a workout outfit, a private tour, and a dead animal. You see, Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, and their two sons were in town to attend the White House’s 2004 dedication of the WWII Memorial, and while walking on the grounds they ran into Bush when he was en route to the private gym. Bush was thrilled at the impromptu meeting, and offered to give them all a private walk-through of the Oval Office. Allow Hanks to explain what happened next on the podcast Soo Many White Guys:

We’re walking toward the Rose Garden to go into the Oval Office, but I swear to God, there was a dead black bird lying in the grass. And he said, ‘ah, oh, that’s a shame,’ and he picks up the bird with his bare hands, and says, ‘yeah, we get these all the time in the ranch!’ and threw the black bird into the bushes to get it out of sight and goes, ‘ah, the crew’ll pick that up.’

Cue those Beatles lyrics.

Tom Hanks Has a Story About George W. Bush and a Dead Bird