My father, Ronald Reagan, would be heartbroken by today’s White House conduct

America’s dignity may have been sidelined. But it can still be reclaimed

By

Opinion

June 9, 2026 - 5:35 PM

This July 17, 1987, file photo shows former US President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as they pose for photographers on the patio outside the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. (Mike Sargent/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

This is a reflective time of year for me. My father, Ronald Reagan, died in June 2004, and each year I let myself drift into whatever realm my thoughts and memories lead me to. Sometimes it’s about who he was as a father — magical when I was a small child, but elusive and a bit awkward as I grew up.

This year I have found myself reflecting on who he was as America’s parent — not in a political framework, but as a human being. I’ve thought about how baffled he would be at the language and the statements that bellow out of the current White House. I can imagine his eyes…

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