The Copycat of Reagan, Donald Trump

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

                                                                                    

                        Good looking playboy with a rich father

Donald Trump, President from  January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, and again from January 20, 2025, to the present. He shares several rhetorical and stylistic parallels with Ronald Reagan, including the use of populist messaging and the famous slogan. "Make America great again."Donald was married to Ivana (1977-1990), Marla Maples (1993-1999), Melania (2005- ).  

                                       

                                   1911-1984

 Trump adopted Reagan's 1980 campaign phrasing, including the "Make America great again" line and economic prompts regarding personal financial wellbeing. 

 President Ronald Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989. 

Both Were Outsiders of Politics: Both men entered national politics as prominent cultural figures outside traditional political channels— Reagan was married to Jane Wyman from 1940-1949, the War Years and then Nancy from 1952 to 2004 when Reagan died.  

Reagan was on the radio that most of us listened to, while Trump had his own program on TV.  

      Good-looking Ronald Reagan of Hollywood

Ronald Reagan's Role: Ronald Reagan hosted and introduced the series from 1964 to 1966. Context: Hosting Death Valley Days and filming commercials for related products like Boraxo was Reagan's final professional acting job before he left to run for Governor of California.  The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company, makers of 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo, and hosted by Stanley Andrews ("The Old Ranger") (1952–1964), Ronald Reagan (1964–1966), Robert Taylor (1966–1969), and Dale Robertson (1969–1970).

Trump's TV program was The Apprentice, which ran on NBC from 2004 to 2017. The Premise: Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview," contestants split into teams to complete business tasks, with Trump famously eliminating one person each week by saying, "You're fired". Trump's Role: He hosted the first 14 seasons of the main series and its spin-off, The Celebrity Apprentice, before leaving ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign. Impact: The show drew massive ratings and helped shape his public persona as a successful billionaire businessman before entering politics.

Reagan from Hollywood and Trump from business and reality television.  Both ran as Republicans which explains many of the similarities.  

It was Reagan who convinced NATO to plant nuclear-armed missiles all over Western Europe.  He then convinced Congress to fund General Graham's defense system designed to knock down Soviet missiles fired, called Star Wars, like the future fantasy world might have.  Now the USA was free from worry and had stabilized the deterrent of Mutually Assured Destruction.  The Russians now believed that our USA nukes would hit Russia first and their missiles would retaliate,  would be shot out of the sky before they entered our airspace.  That alone would take the safety off the American nuclear trigger.  They went on high alert.  

Their ambassador to the USA, Anatoly Dobrynin, told the Kremlin that Reagan was serious.  By 1983, fear in the Kremlin was at an all time high. America's CIA felt the tension.  Robert Gates , Deputy CIA Director, didn't realize how scared the Russians were of us.  One thing kept them in their seats.  They knew that the  Americans had to jump through a lot of hoops to start a war.  We had the War Powers Act to contend with.  Reagan faced Brezhnev, Chernenko, Gkorbachev knowing we could not make an unprovoked strike.  In 1983, Yuri Andropov, Soviet general secretary, who felt that living dangerously was not so sanguine.  "Reagan is unpredictable," they said.  

Donald Trump is unpredictable,  has been described as unpredictable by various analysts, foreign officials, political commentators, and even by Donald Trump himself.Donald Trump has openly stated that he wants to be unpredictable as a strategic tactic in negotiations. As noted by IMD business school, Trump remarked: “I'd rather not play my cards... I want to be unpredictable.”  

Shifting stances: Foreign officials note sudden reversals in U.S. policy, particularly in high-stakes negotiations involving Iran and regional security. 

Social media disconnect: A notable gap often exists between official administration doctrine and Trump's direct social media declarations. 

Strategic leverage: Some analysts view this behavior as a deliberate "madman theory" tactic designed to keep adversaries off balance and extract concessions. However, critics argue it often blurs into destabilizing unreliability.

              

President Ronald Reagan’s relationship with Israel was complex, marked by a deep commitment to its security alongside moments of intense friction and public use of American leverage.   Reagan viewed Israel as a vital strategic asset against Soviet influence in the Middle East. In 1983, he signed National Security Decision Directive 111, which formalized and upgraded bilateral ties. 

Economic and Military Aid: U.S. aid was converted into outright grants rather than project-specific loans.
Free Trade Agreement: In 1985, Reagan transmitted the Israel-United States Free Trade Area Agreement to Congress, establishing duty-free bilateral trade.

       Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel, rescued from government  
The Mission: A follow-up to the halted Operation Moses, it used six U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules transport planes to rescue roughly 500 to 650 stranded Ethiopian Jews. 
The Location: Aircraft landed secretly near Al Qadarif, Sudan, flying evacuees to Ovda Airport in Israel, where they made their home.

Humanitarian Efforts: Reagan's administration supported the rescue of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Joshua and advocated for Soviet Jewry.  We had one friend put in jail in Russia for attempting to learn Hebrew and Sarah, our teacher,  communicated with him from our class in Haifa somehow in 1980.  Jews there wanted to get out.  

 US President Ronald Reagan interacted with two Israeli presidents during his time in office: Yitzhak Navon and Chaim Herzog. Three different prime ministers served in Israel during Ronald Reagan's presidency (1981–1989): Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, and Shimon Peres.

Reagan viewed Israel as a vital strategic asset against Soviet influence in the Middle East. In 1983, he signed National Security Decision Directive 111, which formalized and upgraded bilateral ties.

Economic and Military Aid: U.S. aid was converted into outright grants rather than project-specific loans.
Free Trade Agreement: In 1985, Reagan transmitted the Israel-United States Free Trade Area Agreement to Congress, establishing duty-free bilateral trade.
Humanitarian Efforts: His administration supported the rescue of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Joshua and advocated for Soviet Jewry.

Key Interactions

Yitzhak Navon: Served as Israel's president and met with Reagan at the White House on January 5, 1983, early in Reagan's presidency.

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The American Presidency Project

                                              Chaim Herzog

President Chaim Herzog made the first-ever state visit by an Israeli president to the White House to meet with President Ronald Reagan on November 10, 1987.   President Reagan and Israeli President Chaim Herzog met at the White House to celebrate shared democratic values and strengthen diplomatic ties. During the 1987 state visit, the leaders emphasized mutual commitments to peace and stability in the Middle East. 

Donald Trump is beloved in Israel.  

Jerusalem Embassy: Moved the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (2 gigantic steps, moving to J. and recognition)

Golan Heights: Recognized Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights.  

Donald J. Trump (U.S. President)

Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister)

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (Bahraini Foreign Minister)

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE Foreign Minister)

The Abraham Accords: Brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations.

Iran Nuclear Deal: Withdrew the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 

Trump has been helpful in :  

Weapons and Arms Sales: Advanced billions in military assistance and major arms packages, including a proposed $8 billion arms sale and fast-tracked emergency military aid.

Defense Funding: Provided hundreds of millions in dedicated funding for missile defense systems and joint anti-tunneling technologies.  (AI)

UN Funding Cuts: Defunded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and withdrew from UNESCO.

ICC Sanctions: Issued executive orders imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrants for Israeli leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reagan had to have quick responses.  In his URGENT FURY-plan using force, planned from scratch in 72 hours or so, to help American citizens in danger on island of Grenada and needed to be rescued.  Reagan's  ambassador there was a former Nebraska highway commissioner with no experience in foreign affairs. (Sound like  Trump act?)  Hostages were being held-Med students.  The island was full of Russians, Cubans. 

During his second administration, President Donald Trump has frequently selected individuals for high-level government positions who lack traditional, sector-specific experience, prioritizing loyalty and perceived management capabilities over standard professional backgrounds. This hiring philosophy has sparked significant pushback from both Democrats and Republicans, who argue that bypassing domain expertise places critical federal operations and national security at risk.

VP George Herbert Walker Bush questioned the force and Reagan said as long as we have to go  in, we might as well  do everything that needs to be done. The invasion was for October 1983.  Now, Reagan had been preaching about Central American peril.  Congress was not moved.  Reagan lied to congress about Grenada's air force of which did not exist.  He called it the Soviet-Cuban militarization of Grenada.  Their only economics depended on bananas. 

President Donald Trump and Navy leadership presented plans Monday evening for a new class of modern battleships that would be armed with a variety of high-tech weapons and aided by artificial intelligence.  These vessels are planned to feature advanced weaponry like hypersonic weapons, electric railguns, and high-powered lasers.  In December 2025, Trump announced plans to develop a new "Trump class" of large battleships—part of a proposed "Golden Fleet". 

 Grenada's government was under the British Queen.  Our Tip O'Neill (In 1983, Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. was the powerful Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the national face of the political opposition to President Ronald Reagan.) and was uncomfortable as Reagan kept going on about Lebanon in the middle of a meeting about Grenada.  ( isn't this just like Trump?)  Meeting Digressions & Confusions: During official meetings, Trump has historically been reported to veer off-script. Media fact-checkers frequently note instances where he conflates unrelated foreign policy operations or repeats unsubstantiated statistics not supported by official executive department findings.Public Verbal Slip-Ups: The narrative that Trump has appeared "confused" intensified following a NATO summit press briefing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During that event, Trump mistakenly referred to Iran as the “Islamic Republic of Japan” and momentarily asked reporters if they had questions for “President Putin” before correcting himself. Critics of President Donald Trump mocked him mercilessly on social media after he referred to Iran as the “Islamic Republic of Japan,” and made several other stunning gaffes during press conferences at the NATO summit...

.Former President Ronald Reagan publicly announced his Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in a handwritten letter on November 5, 1994, five years after his presidency ended.

Over recent weeks, speculation has grown about US President Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour during the US-Israel war on Iran.

While questioning Trump’s mental fitness for office, various commentators have suggested he has malignant narcissism, Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia, and is experiencing accelerating cognitive decline and a “profound psychological crisis”.

The claim of frontotemporal dementia in particular has stuck. This form of dementia can affect judgement, empathy, language skills and impulse control.

Trump’s critics say frontotemporal dementia explains his escalating threats, profanities and tendency to ramble.

But is frontotemporal dementia really the answer?

The differences between the 2 Presidents  are that everyone loved Ronald Reagan.  He was a gentleman.  He tried to follow Presidential rules.  

Optimistic: He always spoke about American greatness with a bright, hopeful tone.

Gentle and Polite: People called him the "Great Communicator" because he was warm, calm, and charming.

Unifying: He tried to bring citizens together and project a friendly image of the country.

Respectful of Norms: He honored traditional political rules and government institutions.

Humorous: He used light, self-deprecating jokes to disarm critics and ease tension.

Donald Trump, however, is:

Combative: He treats politics like a fight and attacks his rivals directly with sharp nicknames.

Disruptive: He challenges traditional government rules, media, and norms on purpose.

Unfiltered: He speaks bluntly and uses direct language to share fast, strong opinions.

Transactional: He views relationships, laws, and global deals as strict wins or losses.

Populist Fighter: He presents himself as a bold outsider fighting a corrupt system for regular people.

Edited: 9/2/26, addition of radio and TV work

Resource:

Book:  Drift, by Rachel Maddow, p.66-on

AI 

https://theconversation.com/we-cant-know-if-donald-trump-has-dementia-even-if-he-did-it-wouldnt-excuse-his-actions-281131                                          

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