When It Came to Donald Trump, Michael Reagan Really Flipped — Here's What He Said

When it comes to powerful men, Michael Reagan knew a thing or two about being in close proximity to them. As the adopted son of Ronald Reagan and actor Jane Wyman, Michael grew up in a big, complicated world. He was adopted by the couple a mere four years before their marriage ended. In his 1988 memoir On the Outside Looking In, Michael wrote about what life was like when his father married Nancy Reagan in 1952. He was 7 years old.

According to Michael, the house was run by Nancy, who was kinder to him before she married his father. After that, Michael and his other adopted sister were apparently largely ignored by the woman who had two biological children with the future President of the United States. Michael is a man who spent much of his life in conflict and often struggled with his own identity. With this context in mind, it's easier to understand his thoughts on President Donald Trump. Here's what he said.

In June 2016, Michael told CNN’s Michael Smerconish that his father would not have liked Trump. This was an addendum to a post Michael made to X (formerly Twitter) in which he said Trump was the first GOP nominee Ronald would not have supported. He went on to say that Trump wasn't very Reagan-esque. "I mean, my father was humble. That’s not what you find in a Donald Trump, I might say."

Back in 2016, Trump was frequently comparing himself to the former president, a fact that bothered Michael. The former president of the Reagan Legacy Foundation was quick to point out how the two men differ. "He wasn’t demeaning. He didn’t talk down to people. He talked with people, which is the complete opposite of what Donald Trump, in fact, does," said Michael.

Michael told Smerconish that, unlike Trump, his father brought people together. "Ronald Reagan didn’t attack the people around him," he said. When asked about Trump's claims that he was friends with Ronald, Michael simply said, "I would ask Donald Trump, exactly how many state dinners were you invited to?" The answer is one.

Following Trump's second presidential win, Michael penned an opinion piece for the Press Herald in which he recalled a phone conversation he had with the president in 2015. Trump called to tell Michael he was thinking about running for president, and asked if he thought he should run. "I think you’ll destroy the Republican Party," said Michael, who went on to say Trump did just that.

Michael said the destruction of the GOP resulted in its being rebuilt. "With his historic political comeback and his MAGA movement," wrote Michael, "Trump has created the Republican Party of the future." He said Trump built a "new coalition that includes Americans who have never really been admitted to the GOP’s big tent — blue-collar workers, blacks, and Latinos."