With Presidents Day on Feb. 17, 2025, it is important to remember those who served as presidents of the United States (U.S.). Clearly, the most important of them all was Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the U.S., who served two consecutive terms from 1981 to 1989.
Known as “The Great Communicator,” Reagan is hands down one of the best public speakers in American history. From passionate speeches to the American people to delivering “A Time for Choosing,” in which he spoke on behalf of then-Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, Reagan certainly has a way with enamoring those around him. Better yet, the man is a great orator despite almost dying. On March 30, 1981, Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin six times, with one of the bullets lodging itself an inch from his heart. When rushed into the operating room he commented to his doctors, “I hope you’re all Republicans.”
Not every president is able to lie on what may be their deathbed and crack a joke at those who are in charge of their survival. But Reagan went above and beyond in comforting his doctors despite the life-or-death predicament he found himself in, even at the expense of his own political party. Because clearly, the most important thing at the time would be everyone’s political affiliation—not the bullet in his chest.
It is without a doubt that Reagan’s public speaking skills had the power to save the American public. In 1985, he quickly addressed the topic of HIV in a press conference, only four years after the first few cases of AIDS were announced in Los Angeles. During his statement, he sympathized with parents who were afraid of sending their children to school due to fear of their kids contracting HIV. Not only was he able to broach such a controversial topic to a nation of frightened citizens, but he was also able to alleviate parents’ concerns, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirming that HIV cannot be transmitted through casual contact.
Following up on the topic in 1987, Reagan advised students that the best way to avoid contracting AIDS is through the practice of abstinence. Defending his stance to be based on both medical and moral reasons, he strongly believed that the topic of sex “should be taught in connection with values, not simply taught as a physical, mechanical process.” No American president has been able to slyly slip in such conservative ideals, such as religious abstinence, under the guise of protecting the people as well as Reagan has done.
While the Surgeon General at the time, Dr. Charles Everett Koop advised schools to teach students how to use condoms to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus, Reagan went above and beyond in advocating for a more moral America. As the man himself said, “One of the things that’s been wrong with too much of our education is that no kind of values of right and wrong are being taught in the education process.” With the nation in fear of the HIV epidemic, there was no better option for the president than to continue fear-mongering and disregard the words of Surgeon General Koop — the leading spokesperson for public health in the federal government. Rather, President Reagan did the most scientifically proven thing and advocated for his Christian beliefs to be taught in the public school system, which absolutely doesn’t go against the notion of a secular state.
Reagan was a staunch opponent of many civil rights legislation proposed and adopted by Congress. Going against major pieces such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, he stood firm in his stance that it was too early for people to receive their unalienable rights or that the federal government would have too much power if they adopted these measures.
His beliefs and morals stood so strong that he decided to veto the Comprehensive Apartheid Act, which would levy economic sanctions against the Republic of South Africa during their time in apartheid. However, the U.S. Senate, in a distasteful move, went against the great president and voted to override his motion. Reagan stood firm that apartheid is “a malevolent and archaic system totally alien to [the nation’s] ideals” and that he regretted Congress’ actions as “these punitive sanctions do not lead to more violence and more repression.”
Clearly in support of his values that apartheid is archaic and institutionalized racial segregation is a horrible thing to bestow upon any people, the Reagan administration reversed a Nixon-era policy, granting tax exemptions to racially discriminatory schools in 1982. Claiming that the proposed legislation was “sensitive to legitimate special needs of private religious schools,” Reagan defended racism on the basis that it was in support of a school using religion as a criterion for admission.
These are but some of the great achievements and moments of former president Ronald Reagan. During his time in office, he has not only managed to be a source of comedic relief, but remained a staunch advocate for the liberation of various minority groups. The U.S. mourns the loss of such an exemplary man.
*This is a satirical piece and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about the writer’s opinion except through humor and/or exaggeration. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental or is intended purely as satire, parody or spoof of such persons and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about that person.
