Donald Trump is trampling the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
President Trump’s reaction to a TV ad arguing against his tariffs, aired by the Canadian province of Ontario, was both extraordinary and entirely predictable. He was so offended by the allegedly “fake” ad, which featured audio of Ronald Reagan speaking, that he cut off trade talks and raised the duties on Canadian goods by 10%.
What was not so predictable is that Trump would present himself as Reagan’s defender. “Ronald Reagan loved tariffs,” he asserted. Like virtually everything that comes out of Trump’s mouth, his response was a toxic mix of dishonesty, ignorance and cynicism. The truth is that he represents a radical divergence from Reagan — and not just on international trade.
But start with tariffs, which Reagan definitely did not love.
“Trade is an economic alliance that benefits both countries,” he said in 1988. “We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends, weakening our economy, our national security and the entire free world, all while cynically waving the American flag.” He couldn’t have done a better job of describing Trump.
Reagan, despite his convictions, did yield to political pressures by adopting measures to limit imports of steel, cars, semiconductors and other products. But he also pushed for new global negotiations to lower trade barriers, which bore fruit in 1994 with broad reductions in tariffs and the creation of the World Trade Organization.
He signed a free trade agreement with Canada, and it was later expanded to include Mexico, in the North American Free Trade Agreement. That’s the same NAFTA that Trump repudiated, calling it “the worst trade deal ever made.”
Reagan would have gone much further in integrating the economies of the three countries. “It’s time we stopped thinking of our nearest neighbors as foreigners,” he said, announcing his presidential candidacy in 1979. He dreamed of a North American continent “in which the peoples and commerce of its three strong countries flow freely across their present borders.”
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That’s right: not just goods and services, but people. Reagan could not have differed more from Trump on international trade or relations with Canada and Mexico. Trump has about as much in common with Reagan as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has with the rest of the Kennedy family.
But this is the least of the differences between the two presidents. Here are a few things Trump has done that Reagan didn’t: order the Justice Department to go after his political enemies; try to overturn an election and issue mass pardons to violent felons who helped him; order murderous attacks on boats allegedly carrying illegal drugs; send the military into U.S. cities to support deportation efforts; and publicly entertain the idea of an unconstitutional third term.
Reagan also did things that offer a shimmering contrast to Trump. He boldly challenged the leader of a despotic regime in Moscow — contributing to its eventual demise. He supported the Federal Reserve even when its fight against inflation caused a recession.
He signed an immigration reform bill granting amnesty to nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants. He championed freedom around the world, pressing dictators to yield to democracy in South Korea and the Philippines.
Signing legislation creating the National Endowment for Democracy, he said it “will let the people at the grassroots, who make our democracy work, help build it elsewhere.” Trump has gutted it.
Reagan was a leader of dignity and good humor who treated his political opponents as fellow Americans. He had many clashes with Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill, but at O’Neill’s 1986 retirement party, the president said, “Mr. Speaker, I’m grateful you have permitted me in the past, and I hope in the future, that singular honor — the honor of calling you my friend.” Trump called Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi “evil, sick, crazy.”
Reagan was capable of touching the hearts of all Americans with inspired eloquence — as he did at the 1984 D-Day ceremony in France and after the 1986 Challenger explosion. Trump has never done anything remotely comparable.
The Gipper had plenty of faults. He ballooned the budget deficit, made a secret and illegal arms-for-hostages deal with Iran, weakened environmental protections and endorsed a federal ban on abortion. He was not above exploiting white racism in the guise of upholding “state’s rights.”
But unlike Trump, he had a coherent world view, truly valued human freedom and respected the processes of democracy. He saw the presidency as a means of advancing his principles for the good of the nation, not a vehicle for enriching himself and pursuing vengeance. He was a decent, gracious human being.
Reagan’s critics said he unfairly demonized government. But Trump has done his best to make it truly demonic.
Steve Chapman was a member of the Tribune Editorial Board from 1981 to 2021. His columns, exclusive to the Tribune, now appear the first week of every month. He can be reached at [email protected].
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