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Ronald Reagan ‘Would Not Vote For Donald Trump,’ Says Son

By Aric Mitchell
Published on: 17:32 PST, Jun 7, 2016

Ronald Reagan has long been considered the ultimate Republican President, and it’s easy to see why. Much of the modern economic platform that the GOP supports grew under the Gipper.

He was sharp of wit and could disarm the press and have them in laughter, even as they prepped the tough questions.

When he won reelection in 1984, it was by a considerable landslide over the Democratic frontrunner Walter Mondale. And when his final term drew to a close in 1988, his approval rating had fallen some but was still generally favorable.

(At least favorable enough to get his Vice President a second landslide victory over Michael Dukakis.)

That was back when the GOP was held in higher esteem than it is today, and many of the modern GOP class have been fighting to bring back Reaganomics ever since.

With the current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, some in the party are hoping that ’80s-esque popularity will return. There have already been numerous comparisons made between the original Ronald Reagan campaign and the current one being run by Trump.

(The loss in Iowa followed by a sweep of states; multiple GOP candidates in the early running; Reagan’s skipping of one debate — all things that apply to the Donald as well.)

Unfortunately for fans of both men, it appears that Ronald Reagan would have never supported Trump, like, not in a million years.

The declaration comes from a pretty reliable source, too: Reagan’s own son, who wrote on Twitter that he would not be voting for Trump in the California primary, and his father wouldn’t either.

The eldest son rattled more than a few with the first tweet, but it was this one that really sent him over the edge.

Of course, Trump’s team is already on damage control with Katrina Pierson telling CNN today that Michael cannot possibly presume to know what his father would think.

“Everyone can try to assume what somebody else would do, but you simply can’t do that,” Pierson said in comments to Wolf Blitzer. “I think it’s pretty unfortunate that [Michael Reagan] would go as far as to assume that because he doesn’t know what Ronald Reagan would do.”

When Pierson’s interview got out, Michael followed up by sharing the story along with an additional comment.

Where Pierson may be correct is in the track record of both Trump and Ronald Reagan. The two men started as Democrats with some liberal tendencies.

Reagan was even trustworthy enough to win California’s confidence as its 33rd Governor. He pivoted in the 1960s and ’70s and eventually won the favor of the American people, unseating Jimmy Carter in 1980.

Trump started in the same type of manner, supporting a massive tax on billionaires to pay off the national debt and supporting abortion rights.

Now he’s against tax increases and pro-life.

The trajectories are similar, so even if it’s true that Ronald Reagan wouldn’t vote for Trump, it isn’t because the men are diametrically opposed.

But what do you think, readers?

Is the son of Ronald Reagan out of line trying to influence the election by presuming to “vote” for his father, or would he be the best person to talk to when it comes to the former President of the United States? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons/NASA Johnson]

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