Last week, political pundits began likening Donald Trump, running for the Republican presidential nomination, to an earlier and for many, a beloved president. Trump also has been comparing himself—frequently and favorably—with Ronald Reagan.
Reagan’s relationships, professional and personal, were without reproach. I don’t remember Ronald Reagan ever insulting anyone, foreign or domestic, friend or enemy. He was a consummate gentleman.
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And his relationships were without distinction of “gender.” Can you imagine Reagan, in public or in private, calling British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, oh, “Frumpy”? The Reagan-Thatcher relationship was so strong that in later years, after he had retired, Dame Thatcher always travelled with a black dress in her suitcase so she would be ready, at the time of his passing, to be a part of the memorial. And so she was, in 2004.
Ronald Reagan was so considerate of others that, upon leaving a restaurant, he would not walk past a member of the staff without saying “Good night.” In meeting with members of the news media, he would often answer any question from a reporter because he didn’t want to seem rude. I have been told that members of his PR staff were usually holding their collective breath, lest he say something that had not been programmed in advance. I am sure he did. And I am sure he didn’t much care.
Reagan was a skilled negotiator—skilled enough to know when he was winning and willing to pull back a bit to get 80 percent of what he wanted, rather than push for 100 percent and thereby jeopardize the whole deal. At the same time, he would walk away from a bad deal, as he did, with Soviet Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev at the 1986 summit meeting in Reykjavik. Is this a contradiction? No, it is watching a master negotiator wading through what could be a dangerous swamp. And in the end, winning.
As I am writing this, with TV running in the background, I hear a Trump staffer proclaiming, “No one can make a better deal than Donald Trump.” I can’t judge Donald Trump’s business or personal history. But anyone can judge the record of Ronald Reagan. So I say to Donald Trump: Mr. Trump, I knew Ronald Reagan. Mr. Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan.
Ambassador Gilbert A. Robinson (Ret), is the principal author of the recently-issued Reagan Remembered, a collection of anecdotes and observations from 81 former Reagan appointees.
