WhatsappRonald Reagan was loved by so many Americans, even by many of his detractors, because he was so distinctly American. He personified America First love of the country that he grew up in, served in and then led. How unfortunate that messages like these where Reagan so clearly states the value of wanting the United States to win is considered a brilliant line that labels his Democrat opponents so clearly.
One of the Americans who clearly was impacted by Ronald Reagan enormously is Donald Trump. Trump is an American baby boomer, which means that he did not grow up during World War II, but shortly afterwards in the shadow of the War. It was a generation that experienced two massive American Wars of containment against the Soviet Union – Korea and Vietnam. It was a generation that came of age during the turbulent 60’s. That means that race riots, the anti-War movement and the multiple assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy, all had massive implications for the country.
What made the 80’s, under Reagan’s leadership so unique was the success that so many felt in their pocketbooks and neighborhoods. It may have been difficult to draw a straight line between the crumbling of the Soviet Union and the financial success that so many Americans felt. However, American exceptionalism was clearly felt as country after country in Eastern Europe fell like dominoes in a clear thrust towards Westernization. Even Russia itself had Boris Yeltsin, considered a more pro-Western leader who was the face of the counter rebellion during the failed coup in Russia.
Reagan understood that Americans like to win, not to be tied and stuck in a stalemate. That was the difference between Reagan’s attitude and his predecessor’s attitudes on dealing with the Soviet Union. He played to win – even if it meant that he sometimes took things towards a precipice in order to pressure the Soviet Union. But he clearly was the leader who should be credited the most with winning the Cold War and thus ushering in a life of freedom for hundreds of millions of Eastern Europeans.
Despite being ridiculed by most Democrats, and even by his own children, he stuck to his few stated goals and achieved them. Outside of ballooning the budget, he was probably one of the most successful Presidents of the 20th century. Donald Trump is different than Ronald Reagan in many ways, especially temperament, but he clearly was impacted by him in many critical ways – especially in sharing the same goal of making America great again.
