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The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Family, Politics, and the Reagan Legacy with Michael Reagan
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- [00:00]
iHeart Radio Host
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Michael Reagan
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Ryan Seacrest
21 + terms and conditions apply. We've all done it.
- [01:03]
Tutor Dixon
You see a headline but don't have.
- [01:05]
Ryan Seacrest
Time to read the whole story or.
- [01:07]
Tutor Dixon
There'S so much news you're not sure what is worth your time. I'm Colby Ekowitz, co host of Post Reports, the weekday afternoon podcast from the Washington Post. Post Reports brings you what's relevant and.
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Ryan Seacrest
Revealing breaking stories, politics, wellness, culture. Each episode goes beyond a headline for.
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Tutor Dixon
The context you need. Find Post Reports now where wherever you're listening.
- [01:30]
Ryan Seacrest
I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.
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Tutor Dixon
I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.
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Ryan Seacrest
To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.
- [01:50]
Michael Reagan
What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?
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Ryan Seacrest
Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Deciding on what to listen to is hard. Using Xumo to stream music from iheart 90s radio is easy or play Iheart country or hip hop beats your choice. All for free. Stream Easy with Xumo Play get live and on demand entertainment with no logins, no signups, no accounts, no hassle this April binge these classics. The Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry adaptation with Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep and the Fisher King with Robin Williams. All streaming free on Zumo Play. Go to play.zumo.com now. Life is hard. Zumo is easy.
- [02:35]
Tutor Dixon
Welcome to the Tudor Dixon Podcast. Today I have with me the eldest son of former president Ronald Reagan, Michael Reagan. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today.
- [02:45]
Michael Reagan
Good to be here, getting older, that.
- [02:48]
Tutor Dixon
Hey, it's always good to be getting older, right? That's what people don't realize. It is good to be getting older. But you, you had. Have had quite a special life with your dad being the President of the United States. And I think he started running for office when you were 20, right?
- [03:04]
Michael Reagan
Gosh, I was 20 years old. But remember, I had a mother.
- [03:08]
Tutor Dixon
That's right.
- [03:09]
Michael Reagan
I had a mom. You know, it's really history. Up until my dad gave the speech a Time for choosing back in 1964, I was Jane Wyman's son. And then my dad gave the speech the Time for Choosing, and literally overnight, I became Ronald Reagan's son.
- [03:26]
Tutor Dixon
That's so funny, because I want to talk about both worlds, because today people oftentimes call Washington, D.C. the Hollywood for ugly people, because people have become, like, really obsessed with themselves. But you got to see a different. I think you probably saw a different side of Hollywood than we know today, right?
- [03:44]
Michael Reagan
Oh, yeah. Much different side of Hollywood than you see today. Not that it didn't have activists, didn't have the liberals in there and communism in there, what have you. Which my dad thought back basically in the 1940s and 1950s, a lot of actors don't realize that it was my dad who gave them health care insurance. It was my dad who gave them residuals. They didn't have residuals up until that point in time. And to show you who Ronald Reagan was, I mean, I go, are you crazy, dad? When he wrote the bill and signed it to give residuals to actors, he wrote himself out of it because he didn't want people to think that he only passed his bill through SAG so that when his career was over, he would have a way to make a living. So he didn't get residuals.
- [04:34]
Tutor Dixon
That's why people love him, because he was about the people.
- [04:37]
Michael Reagan
Oh, yeah, he truly was. And it was never about him. It was about people around him and what have you. And whether you were a friend of his or your family member, you know, he really treated people pretty well, equally. He told stories and As a good friend of mine, Bill Clark, Judge Bill Clark, said years ago, and a great friend of my father's said, you know, your father spoke to us in parables. And you really think about. You go back and listen to his speeches. He did. He spoke to us in parables, he told us a story, and then he prayed to God afterwards. You got it.
- [05:15]
Tutor Dixon
Was it like that growing up? I mean, was he like that as a father, too?
- [05:19]
Michael Reagan
Always a lesson, you know, if he took me to the ranch, which he took me every Saturday morning, go out to the ranch and shoot ground squirrels in the afternoon, the lesson wasn't shooting straight. The lesson was to wait for these little damn things to pop their heads out of the ground, and if you didn't get the shot the first time, you had to sit and wait and wait until it would pop up again. So the lesson there was patience. And that's just what he did, you know, with members of the family. And. And, you know, you look back at that point, I went like, dad, just let me shoot the damn squirrel. But then later on, you look back say, oh, he was teaching me a lesson.
- [05:59]
Tutor Dixon
And I think that's kind of how. I mean, I would say even today, Democrats are starting to talk about him that way, which I find fascinating because I think the first time Trump ran in 2016, I didn't get that strong love of your father from the Democrats. But now this time, I mean, even Alyssa Slotkin is saying, well, he's not Ronald Reagan. And I'm like, what do you do you now love Ronald Reagan?
- [06:25]
Michael Reagan
Oh, yeah. Interesting enough, I said on so many occasions I might written about the fact they loved Ronald Reagan the day we buried him. Up until that point in time, he was at war with the media and what have you. And some of them, Sam, you know, Sam. And others came to be believers in Ronald Reagan. But again, it was always a battle. And people talk about what's going on today. Well, you know, back in my day, the time of my dad, it was abc, NBC and cbs. But they were all, you know, talking about him. They're all negative. They're all saying he was a racist. They're all saying he was going to stop Social Security. They're all saying he was going to start a war. They were saying the same things back then on three channels where today they're saying on every channel, if you will. And there's so many.
- [07:12]
Tutor Dixon
And there's so many. And there's so many other ways for people to say it. All the social media and everybody thinks they're a journalist, and everybody's going out and they're all attacking, and it's very tough. But I. You said something in the beginning that you were Jane Wyman's son before you were Ronald Reagan's son. And I think that's if you've watched the movie, and I'm sure you watched the movie of your father's life at the beginning. So. So it's fascinating from my perspective, because as a viewer, I'm watching that and I'm like, man, he was in a situation where his wife was really famous and she was a really great actress, and he was an okay actor. You know, he wasn't the one in the spotlight. And. But. But there has to be a security in that lifestyle, and there has to be kind of like an allure to that lifestyle. For him to step out and run for governor would have been challenging. But also, he had the name id. So what. Tell us a little bit about what that was like from the perspective of family.
- [08:12]
Michael Reagan
Remember, he was the first president elected who had been divorced, no president before he'd been divorced. So that was a real big issue, you know, during the campaign. But it was interesting after the. We saw the movie at the Gromins here in Hollywood, and I've known mark, everybody for 20 years. I've been telling them stories for 20 years. So. And a lot of those stories showed up in the movie, but they came up to me afterwards, said, do we. Did we treat your mother okay? Was that all right? I said, let me tell you something. I said, my dad gave a speech during the 1980s, and I called my mom on the phone. I said, mom, did you see Dad's speech tonight? She said, no. I said, you didn't? Why? She said, I didn't like in the 1930s. Why would I like it today? And I said, you got her absolutely 100% correct. She didn't like politics. She didn't like it at all. And she didn't like being dragged into these things. But yet she voted for him twice. She didn't say a word. What was great about my mom, which doesn't happen anymore, my mom was offered, I can't tell you how many books to write during my father's presidential life about Ronald Reagan. Negative books, offered a lot of money. Her contract she had with Falcon Crest simply said, I will not ask answer any questions about my former husband. If that question is asked, I will simply get up from the table or chair and walk away. I'm not going to do that. And she never said a Word about my father, her former husband, until the day we buried my dad at the library. And then she said some wonderful. I get choked up, wonderful words about my dad. And that's the kind of woman she was. And that doesn't exist anymore in Hollywood. And that's really sad. Such leadership she showed and what you could be like. And it's not like that at all. She was. She was terrific. I am the way I am because my mom. I am the way I am politically because of my father, because I never knew my mother's politics. I never asked her who she voted for. Never talked politics with my mom at all, except for that one phone call. What'd you think of dad's speech? Didn't like it. 1930s or 40s. Why would I like it today?
- [10:28]
Tutor Dixon
But it is really hard on family members. And she probably. I think that's the ugly side, that people don't get to see that your life is on display whether you want it to be or not. If you are the spouse, if you are the ex, no matter what, they're going after you. They're trying to get information on you, and they're trying to break your family apart. And I. And I can't imagine what it was like because you mentioned he's the first person to be elected president who was divorced and had young kids. So at that time, you have these forces in these three major media corporations that are just trying to destroy you, because that's really what it is. It's not news. They're trying to destroy you.
- [11:10]
Michael Reagan
I couldn't find a job after my dad became president of the United States. Nobody wanted to hire me. They thought I was going to be the next Billy Carter. And the media was after me. The DANLA pulled two or three search warrants on my house looking for information to use against my father. In the 1980 campaign, people asked me, why didn't you ever run? I said, ask my wife, standing at the front door watching LAPD come in and do A or DA Come in and do search warrants on her house, her privacy. That's like rape in many cases when they walk in the house like that and tear everything apart. And I said, I'll go out and speak and write articles, but I'm not going to run and allow my family to go through what we went through then at that point. So I always create jobs for myself because nobody would hire me. And that's how I got back into boat racing, doing fundraising for different charitable causes, setting five world records in 1980s with a power. Power boat raising. Million and a half, $2 million for cystic fibrosis, the Olympic committee and all of those things. But they're all fundraising events because I said, if I'm going to get into something, I need to do something to raise money for different charities so the media cannot attack me for.
- [12:24]
Tutor Dixon
I mean, you're so right, because after I ran for governor here in the state of Michigan, when I came out, I had one of the people that supported me say, I want you to come and interview for a job at my company. And the CEO of the company looked at me and he said, I can't hire you as an out Republican. You can't be hired. And that was right after the race. And I thought, this could be really bad. And then another guy said to me, he's like, once you've run for office, you're. You're like toxic. You can't. And that for you, you never ran. It was your dad.
- [12:56]
Michael Reagan
That.
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Tutor Dixon
Because. And that's. That's the destructive force that I don't think people realize, and that's the kind of behind the scenes that I wanted people to understand, is that when you do this and you offer yourself up to serve, you are taking your entire family with you. And you talk about it as being just as ugly back then as it is now. And I think people oftentimes go, gosh, you know, it's so bad. Now you see what happened to Governor Shapiro, which was horrible. You see the, the violence. And I think that maybe on the level of exposure of the things that are happening. But your father, they attempted to assassinate him. They went after him. I mean, this is. The politics is, Is an ugly game.
- [13:37]
Michael Reagan
It is not the game. And it's affected by children. Cameron and Ashley. Ashley's lost jobs. She's a teacher now. She's, you know, she runs a school. She's a principal. But getting a principal job. She actually signed a contract to be principal for one school, and within 48 hours it was rescinded because they found out Ronald Reagan was her. Her grandfather.
- [13:58]
Tutor Dixon
Oh, my gosh. You're kidding me.
- [14:00]
Michael Reagan
No. Same things happened to my son trying to get jobs. Because Ronald Reagan is his grandfather. I mean, people don't see that side of it and the damage it does. So, you know, we've been there to kind of help our kids and they're doing great. But again, this is what they face in life, too. It really trickles down, all the way down. And it's the anger and the mad. I mean, go see the movie. Reagan One of the similar parts of the movie is my dad is shot. He's in the hospital. He wakes up in the hospital and who's in the hospital room with him? Hip O'Neill with his rosary in his hand, praying for my father. And the two of them pray together for the healing of my father. Now, I asked yourself, would that happen today? Would that happen today? And I think not. I think not. It would not happen today.
- [14:53]
Tutor Dixon
And I think that's the sad thing about, I mean, even this past week, you see Gretchen Whitmer go into the Oval Office and obviously she did some silly things putting the.
- [15:06]
Michael Reagan
Yes, I'm not on your show.
- [15:08]
Tutor Dixon
Okay, Right. I said, I think there are two groups of people that haven't figured out how peekaboo works and that's the toddlers. And Governor Whitmer so doesn't realize that when you put the folder up, we can still see you. But to be fair, she was going there to meet with the president and that enough, that alone was enough for the Democrats to just eviscerate her. I mean, the people that came out, especially on the state level, that went after her, how could you negotiate with him? How could you? I mean, he's the president. What does it come to if you don't have people that are willing to sit down together and you can't, you.
- [15:46]
Michael Reagan
Can'T sit down together. They don't allow it. And look at Bill Maher, Bill Maher goes and has, you know, dinner with the president, United States. You can say what you want to say about, you know, what Bill Maher did and the president did and what have you, very gracious. But he's being attacked from where? He's being attacked from the left for daring to do that. And so how do you, how do you get together and, and solve any issues when you've got those kinds of things going on? And I will tell you, I mean, you look at Trump, you say what you want to say about Trump, but he is wide open. He's so wide open. If, if you don't know Donald Trump is by now, where have you been? I mean, if you're going to say something about Donald Trump, you don't think there's going to be return salvo at that point in time? No, I mean, he is very open. Press conferences bringing people into the Oval Office. And Whitmer invited into the Oval Office where he signed executive order. Has he ever signed an executive order by himself in the middle of the night? There is always media in the Oval Office when he does that. So what does she think? Is she not paying attention to. To the President, United States? She paid attention enough to say, geez, I'd love to work with you. I appreciate you. I love your terrorists. Can they help me here in Michigan with the building of cars and all these other things? That's great, but I don't want anybody to know me well.
- [17:08]
Tutor Dixon
And I can't remember a time when she was invited by Biden. And that, to me, is even more bizarre. Here's a woman who was. So. She was literally promised the vice presidency, and then it was rescinded. It went to Kamala Harris after the fact. I mean, her staff, we had heard, was actually in D.C. looking for. For Holmes because they were planning on moving to be the vice president. And then she doesn't. I mean, she's never talked about going to the White House, that I can remember, with Joe Biden as president, but she goes with Donald Trump. And I think you brought up Bill Maher going there. And I think one of the things that was very critical that he said was all of the things that I didn't like about him were absent when I actually met him. Well, isn't that interesting how that works when you've heard terrible things and then you actually meet the person? That's called finding out who they really are.
- [17:58]
Michael Reagan
It really is. And the fact that Trump has a way to laugh at himself. And in fact, Bill Maher brings a whole list of these are the things you've said about me. And Trump signs it, gives it back to him. Now he's got a signature on it. So Trump gets it. I mean, and it's like, doesn't anybody else get it? I mean, the reason he's doing well, he's having fun. He's having fun, and nobody else is having fun. They're angry. And you're going, why? Why are you angry? I mean, you look at Coachella Valley this last weekend, Coachella Valley, Bernie going down there. I mean, talking about ruining a great weekend for people at Coachella who never draw a sober breath anyway, at Coachella, at that point in time, I mean, you could have put anybody on stage, say, yeah, yeah, I love that. You were great. I mean, $17 lemonade, which I'm sure was spiked, and there's a little bit of weed floating around down there in Coachella. I mean, you know, so why are you angry? Why are you upset? And who caused you to be upset? You lied for four years. You lied about the President, United States and his cognitive ability. You lied about it to the public and you got found out.
- [19:12]
Tutor Dixon
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Ryan Seacrest
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Tutor Dixon
Efficient way to get caught up on a lot of news. It's called the seven from the Washington Post. It's a newsletter and podcast. Whether you're reading or hit play, you get seven stories you need to know and you can consume it all in just a few minutes. The 7 is out every weekday morning by 7:00am Eastern. I'm Hannah Jewell, I'm one of the writers and I host the show. Find the seven podcast wherever you're listening.
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Ryan Seacrest
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Tutor Dixon
In the show notes.
- [23:00]
Ryan Seacrest
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- [23:32]
Tutor Dixon
Bernie had it taken away from him. I mean, why does he continue to speak for these people? It's never a fair election on their side. And they can never say that it wasn't a fair election on our side because there are plenty of establishment Republicans who Trump would not have been their first choice. But the people chose. The people chose and the people chose Donald Trump and he is President now. Oh, let me ask you this. A lot of people do compare your father and Donald Trump. What do you think your father would think of Donald Trump?
- [24:00]
Michael Reagan
I'll take my. My dad. You know, when I said. I said, Donald Trump In 2015, you called me on the phone. I'm running for president, United States. What do you think? I said, I think you'll destroy the Republican Party. You have another question? And. And so we talked for a moment. He said, well, I didn't know your father, but I liked your father because I liked your father. I like you. I said, well, I appreciate it. I didn't know your father either, but I liked your father because I liked your father. I like you. And he said, will you ever come to the White House? We have a reggae day? I said, absolutely, and I'll return it. You come up to the ranch, and we'll have a drunk day up there. But what I didn't realize then, I wrote an op edit piece about this not long after the election. I said, I didn't realize he had to break the party to rebuild the party to win again, because it was not in a winning mode. And so I pat him on the back. And so I was right in 2015, but I was right when I wrote the op ed piece, he said, I didn't realize he had to break the party to rebuild the party to, in fact, win again like he won in November. So, you know, I mean, there's always gonna be some similarities between them, if you will. But the one thing is they both knew what. They both knew what they wanted. They both, you know, and I wrote an op ed piece this last week. You know, China is his Russia, my dad's Russia. I mean, that's how I look at. He's dealing with China, and she dad had to deal with Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and all the leaders before him. So similarities there, how they're handling. They're being tough, they're being strong. What happened in the Oval Office with the president of Ukraine, I said, that was another Ronald Reagan moment because Ronald Reagan did the same thing in Reykjavik with Mikhail Gorbachev, when Mikhail Gorbachev said, hey, you have to give up SDI or Star Wars. And my dad said, nyk and walked away. In fact, my dad told me in 1976, when he lost, I said, why you want to even run for president? He said, for so long, I've watched American presidents sit down with secretary generals of the Soviet Union. And Michael, every time we sit down, they always ask us to give up something to get along with them. I wanted to be the first president to sit down with the secretary general of The Soviet Union. And while he was telling me what it was, I was going to have to give up. I was going to get up from my side of the table, lean over and whisper in his ear, nyet. I told Mark that story in 19, gosh, 20 years ago when he was getting ready for the movie. And that's what shows up in the movie in Reykjavik, because that's what he said when my dad walked away in Reckoning, he did the same thing in Reykjavik that Donald Trump did in the Oval Office. No difference. So there is similarities to what they, in fact do. They do it differently. Donald Trump does it as a New York businessman. In your face. I mean, there's not a New York businessman that isn't like Donald Trump. There isn't a New Jersey businessman that isn't like Donald Trump. There isn't a Chicago businessman not like Donald Trump. Ronald Reagan from Hollywood in the Midwest. Donald Trump fighting the people. He had to fight in New York to get things done, to build buildings. That's how he is and had to be to be successful.
- [27:17]
Tutor Dixon
That scene in the movie was so powerful. I remember sitting in the theater and I think you really have to see that in the theater, too, because it's just such a powerful. Having the big screen up there and watching this all unfold on the big screen. That scene was so powerful. I remember thinking to myself, what is it in him that makes him negotiate in such a strong manner? Because here's a guy who had a really tough childhood, a father that had all kinds of issues. He comes from Hollywood, not the guy that America looks at and goes, okay, this film is going to be a great negotiator on the world stage, but God has different plans for everybody. What did, what is it in him? Like when you were growing up, what was it that you, you went, man, this guy's going to be great.
- [28:11]
Michael Reagan
Yeah, I always thought he was great. He's my dad, you know. And I learned about America sitting in the right front seat of a station wagon on Saturday morning, riding out to the ranch, regaling me with songs of the army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, telling me about the greatness of America. I learned that 8 years old, 7 years old, sit in the right front seat of a car. And I always, always thought he was great. I, I mean, Maureen probably looked at him more as president, to be honest with you. When he ran for governor, I was just 20. My first vote was for him, you know, in 1966 to be governor.
- [28:47]
Tutor Dixon
Oh, he would have been just turning that age and to be honest with.
- [28:51]
Michael Reagan
You, people are asking me. I take people on tours to the library all the time, and they always ask me, what were you thinking back to when he ran for governor? I said, I was 21 years old. I was thinking of my next date. That's what I was thinking. I was like, I hope he wins. Boy, that's going to be really nice. And when he got sworn in at midnight in 1967, at midnight, they called me. I was in. Gosh. I was in up in Lake Tahoe skiing with friends of mine. I said, you think I'm going to come down from Lake Tahoe for two minutes? Are you crazy? I'm up here. I'm having a great time. So I had to really learn this stuff and what have you. I used to ask Maureen, you know, tell me about difference between Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative. I said, hello, I'm just out here talking to Republican women. I don't know what to say and, and what have you. But Maureen, Maureen's the one really pushed my dad into becoming a Democrat. And you go back and you could Google this. My dad becomes a Democrat within 48 hours of general Electric Theater being canceled and he's off the air. Why did that happen? Bobby Kennedy called the head of General Electric and said, you've got contracts coming up and you'd be better served to find a way to get rid of that guy. Speaking about my. My brother the president, and get him off of television to get those contracts done. And so guess what? 48 hours later, Democrat Ronald Reagan is fired, the show is canceled, and he's without a job. But you know something else? He has more time on his hands now. He writes a brand new speech called the Time for Choosing, which he gives for Barry Goldwater, launches a political career into governorship and president. But 48 hours after going off the air, my sister browbeat him enough. He changed his registration from Democrat to Republican. So people always say to me, was it Nancy had changed him to a Republican and got him to run for office? I said, no, it was Bobby Kennedy did that when he got fired from General Elector Theater and got it canceled.
- [31:02]
Tutor Dixon
Well, what do you think of Bobby Kennedy Jr. Today?
- [31:06]
Michael Reagan
That'd be interesting. But again, my dad was so my dad's the one who gave, I think, one of the first talks. John F. Kennedy children came to him and said, will you help us raise money for the library? They said, you know, all the other libraries have, like living presidents and what have you. We don't. And so my dad gave A phenomenal speech. I think he gave it a Ted Kennedy's townhome in Virginia to raise money for the Kennedy Kennedy center of the or the library. And he did that. And it's one of the best speeches you'll ever hear from my dad. You know, he understood the battle, but he understand when the battle was over. You get on with it. You shake hands as you did with Tip O'Neill. Was shows in the movie with Tip O'Neill. Tip O'Neill and him disagreed on everything known to mankind politically, but they found a way to get things done when they had to.
- [32:01]
Tutor Dixon
I think that's been the confusion after seeing Nancy Pelosi stand up and tear up the speech in the middle of the State of the Union. All of this negativity. You've got Bernie Sanders at, like you said at Coachella, standing up and giving speeches and, and this just feels like politics is trying to take over every part of life. And really, I mean I see kids in middle school talking about politics. I never thought about it. You talk about your own dad running when you were 20 and it wasn't your first thought because when we were young that wasn't, that isn't how it was. It wasn't every, every thing you turned on. It wasn't just in your face all the time, but this generation of young people, they have politics in their face constantly. And it's not a joyful situation. It's not politics is not joy. Entertainment is joy.
- [32:57]
Michael Reagan
Yeah, where's the entertainment?
- [32:59]
Tutor Dixon
No right.
- [33:00]
Michael Reagan
You have to ask yourself, where is the entertainment at this point in time? My family, my, my son took his kids. I just got three nine year old, seven year old and a two year old to see King of Kings the other day to get entertainment and get a story, what have you. But the anger, it's even our family, like Patty used to send me her op ed pieces and when I saw one that I could put up on my Twitter X account and not make the world go crazy, I put it up and she would thank me. And then a year ago she sent me one I thought was really good. I put it up and I let her know I just put it up on X and she, you gotta take it down. You gotta take it down. I can't, I can't have one of my op ed pieces on X. It's owned by Elon Musk. You can't do that. I said, well, I'm not taking it down. You're going like, why are you so up? Why are you so upset? Why they can't even have a conversation. It's just, they're mad and they're angry and they, they don't calm down. And that's, that's what's really sad about this whole, whole thing. But, you know, my dad and I, I've said this so many times. My dad had four children, two from Jane. I was adopted in the family. Best decision they ever made. And the, well, I met the other kids, best decision they ever made, but I was adopted into the family. So you have Maureen and I with James, and you have Patty and Ron with Nancy. And you know, Maureen and I are more conservative and Patty and Ron are, are not. But you know something? Thanksgiving dinner, we were all at the same table. We're all at the same table. Even though he had two children, Patty led a march on Washington when he was president, Brought the people in who co marched with her. He invited him into the Oval Office. She wrote books about her mother, you know, the hatreds for her mom and all that stuff. But, you know, some. He still had him at Thanksgiving dinner. They were still there. And that's the difference between. People talk about my father, then if you're going to talk about my father, really look at my father. The deep. Deepen my father's soul and who he was. He didn't, he didn't cancel people because he disagreed with them. He invited them in. That's how he's able to make a decision with Mikhail Gorbachev or get together with, you know, all these people who were against him for so many years and his own children who love him to death. But the fact is he didn't get angry because they came out against him. He embraced them. And if we're going to solve the problems in America, we have to learn to embrace each other. You want to follow Ronald Reagan's rules? Those are Ronald Reagan's rules.
- [35:45]
Tutor Dixon
Stick around. We've got more coming up with Michael Reagan after this. But first, I want to talk to you about my newest partners. At ease. Total Health. Do you remember when President Trump said, Obamacare sucks? Well, President Trump also said, I don't want to terminate Obamacare. I want to replace it with much better health care. We can all agree with President Trump that Obamacare has been horrible. Obamacare is a total disaster with its overpriced premiums and sky high deductibles. But today is a new day. And now you can replace your overpriced, lousy Obamacare with ease for everyone. The only group plan that any adult in the United States is now eligible to join. Listen as we compare Ease for Everyone to Obamacare. With Ease, you get a monthly cost as low as $262. You get free unlimited prescriptions. 93% of all drugs covered are available at no extra cost, including insulin, with huge savings on brand names. Free unlimited virtual primary care. Unlimited urgent care for a $30 copay. Generous cashback reimbursements for emergency room visits and ambulance transportation doctor visits. You can have affordable health care for as low as $262 a month. Month today visit ease for everyone.com tutor and join today. That's easeforeveryone.com tutor now. Stay tuned. We've got more after this.
- [37:08]
Matt Gaetz
Hey, Matt Gaetz here. Listen. After everything we've been through the last few years, saying we have trust issues is an understatement. They pushed a questionable vaccine and when we asked for alternatives like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, they shut us down. They used pressure, lies and red tape to block access to medications that were once easy to get. That cannot happen again. And with All Family Pharmacy, it won't. All Family Pharmacy is redefining health care. No waiting rooms, no delays, no insurance games, just direct access to over 200 trusted medications including ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, menbendazole, antibiotics, emergency kits, and so much more. You can customize your order and have it shipped straight to your door. They believe in medical freedom. You decide what works for your health, not some bloated system. Over 100,000Americans already trust them and maybe it's time you do too. Go to AllFamilyPharmacy.com USA and use code USA10 for 10% off your first order. Again, that's AllFamilyPharmacy.comUSA with code USA10 for 10% off.
- [38:11]
iHeart Radio Host
Hello iHeart listener. We have a confession to make. Both iHeart and this commercial you're listening to right now would probably sound a heck of a lot better on the new Roku Pro Series tv. It's got side firing speakers that fill your room with sound, Dolby Atmos audio that puts you right in the middle of the entertainment, and the ability to pair seamlessly with your home theater sound systems that already have surround sound and booming bass. If all that sounds too good to be true, it'll sound even better on the new Roku Pro series. Your hearing isn't better. Your TV is ok. Real talk, we're.
- [38:42]
Tutor Dixon
All kinda hooked on our phones. It's full of shiny apps designed to keep your attention captive forever. But there's real life stuff to do other than scrolling, and I'm here to help. Hi, I'm Christina Quint, the host of Try this, a podcast from the Washington Post. The show explores solutions for life's common problems. And this season we're learning to tame the dopamine beast and reclaim our attention in this noisy and distracting world. So let's tame the beast together. Find Try this from the Washington Post.
- [39:10]
Ryan Seacrest
Wherever you listen, deciding on what to listen to is hard. Using Xumo to stream music from iHeart 90s radio is easy. Or play I heart country or hip hop beats, your choice. All for free. Stream Easy with Zumo Play. Get live and on demand entertainment with no logins, no signups, no accounts, no hassle. This April, binge these classics, the Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. Adaptation with Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep and the Fisher King with Robin Williams. All streaming free on Zumo Play. Go to play.zumo.com now life is hard. Zumo is easy.
- [39:42]
Michael Reagan
For the last 18 months, Israel is still today under attack. Missile fire has resumed from Israel's enemies that surround them. These are people that are trying to wipe Israel off the map. They are fighting for their very survival here in America. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in constant fear like this? Well, for the people of Israel, it is very real. It's their reality every single day. Please join me. Show your support for the people of Israel and help protect them in this time of attack and uncertainty. And one of the best ways you can do it is by giving to our friends at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. And listen, they're providing humanitarian assistance. They're also providing security essentials. Please give a special Passover gift especially and help protect the people of Israel. Call now and donate 888-488-IFCJ 888-488IFCJ online. It's one word, supportifcj.org, that's supportifcj.org today.
- [40:43]
Tutor Dixon
I think that's been the most shocking reaction from legislators in Michigan to Gretchen Whitmer being in the Oval Office. It's like, ban her. She broke the rule. She wasn't allowed to do that. How could she go against us like this? And how do you expect to get anywhere if you can't sit down together? And like I said, I am not the person to come out and defend Gretchen Whitmer. But the reaction to it has been shocking that there is this divide There is a wall you do not cross, a line you cannot stick your toe across or else that party will just eat you. Al. Unreasonable.
- [41:21]
Michael Reagan
It is, it's absolutely unreasonable. And that you can't find, you know, you can't find common ground or anything. They don't want to find common ground. There is no common ground. Right. As long, as long as you are a Trump supporter, there is no common ground. We don't want him to succeed. We do not want him to succeed. We want him to fail because we're going to do what, what's your message? We want him to fail so we can, and they never have the we can answer.
- [41:53]
Tutor Dixon
Right, right. That's what they've been looking for now for a while. Well, before I let you go, we've talked a lot about your dad, but I want to ask, what would your mom think of Hollywood today?
- [42:04]
Michael Reagan
Steve? Would, she would turn, she really would turn away from what Hollywood's done. See, you know, she was such a gracious, wonderful woman and she would, she'd be appalled by it. They had issues back in the day, but she never played in those, she never played those games. She did her work, you know, and, and she did it well. You know, they referred to her as one take one, One take one, which is really tough if you're working with her on set. Don't come in for a second take take and God forbid a third take because she took that very seriously. You know, here's, here's a woman who was left on a doorstep of a neighbor, went through foster care, basically had a tough childhood growing up. And, and put it, put it all together. And Maury and I, we were lucky to have her. You know, we're the only two people ever raised in a family, born into a family where the father would go on to become president and the mother would go on to become an Academy Award winning actress. And, and the, went to the Grumman and we saw the, saw the movie Reagan. I walked out with Dennis and others to the out front because my mom's handprints and footprints are there at Grandma's Chinese in the ground. And we looked at that. So it was a great memory for my mom. I'm lucky to be where I'm at. You know, I've done a lot of things myself in my life, but I'm about ready to celebrate my 50th anniversary with my wife in November. And we're going to get remarried at the same church that my mom and dad got married in back in the 40s. And I have two great kids. Cameron, Ashley. Ashley's about ready to give birth to her child. First child. And Cameron's got three of his own. So I'm blessed with my family. I married a Midwestern farm girl who keeps me grounded.
- [44:05]
Tutor Dixon
Those Midwestern girls, they're good.
- [44:07]
Michael Reagan
And my mother loved her. My mother thought she was great.
- [44:12]
Tutor Dixon
That's so awesome. That is such a great story. And your mom, what a glamorous woman. I was looking at pictures of her today, really so beautiful. And I'm sure that that idea of Hollywood and glamour and taking you someplace that you never could have imagined was so real for her. And to see how that has changed and taking away the glamour, it's unfortunate. She was a beautiful woman.
- [44:40]
Michael Reagan
It is sad that that glamor has been been taken away. And I don't know when, when it comes back, but we need to get it back everywhere. We, we need to do the rosary sitting in a chair praying for Ronald Reagan moment, which we don't have today.
- [44:56]
Tutor Dixon
Yeah, I mean, it's funny because I love movies and my mom is such a movie nut. When I was a kid, we went to the movies every weekend and somet a weekend and there were always new movies coming out. It was always just like that way. You went, you went into the theater, you just got taken to another place. And I remember every time it was the Academy Awards, we sat as a family, we watched and we listened to every speech. And they were all these speeches about loving your family and how they were so positive. It was all opportunity. And that's what I, I think going back to a space where you just hear positive lessons, you hear positive messages. That's what this country wants. It wants that.
- [45:36]
Michael Reagan
That and once that we were getting it with one candidate in the last election, one candidate was, was in fact giving us that.
- [45:45]
Tutor Dixon
That's true.
- [45:46]
Michael Reagan
You know, it's. It's my dad. You know, both he and, and the president now both shot by would be assassin. What did they do? They came back stronger. What did my dad do? My dad forgave John Hinckley before he went back to the White House. Hope John Paul gets shot a couple of months later, he forgives his would be assassin before he goes back, back to resume his Pope duties. And the two of them ultimately get together not long after that and form a phenomenal bond that brings peace to Poland, wraps it around, and ends up bringing down the Berlin Wall.
- [46:22]
Tutor Dixon
I mean, it has been such a joy to talk to you and hear all these stories about your father. He did so much for everyone in this country and people around the world. He honestly deserves all of the love and all of the praise that he gets. And I'm so glad that you were willing to so much with us and even the side of how challenging it is for the family once someone runs, I think that's something that people don't hear very often, the side where it affects generations to come and even your children have been affected by it. But I'm just so grateful you came on today. Michael Reagan, thank you so much for joining me.
- [46:55]
Michael Reagan
Thank me, thank me. Thank you.
- [46:58]
Tutor Dixon
Absolutely. And thank you all for joining us on the Tutor Dixon Podcast for this episode and others. Go to Tutor Dixon Podcast, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and join us next time. Have a blessed day.
- [47:10]
iHeart Radio Host
Hello iHeart listener, we have a confession to make. Both iHeart and this commercial you're listening to right now would probably sound a heck of a lot better on the new Roku Pro Series tv. It's got side firing speakers that fill your room with sound, Dolby Atmos audio that puts you right in the middle of the entertainment, and the ability to pair seamlessly with your home theater sound systems that already have surround sound and booming bass. If all that sounds too good to be true, it'll sound even better on the new Roku Pro series. Your hearing isn't better, your TV is.
- [47:41]
Tutor Dixon
For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your finances financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent where Money means more Connect with us@thrivent.com.
- [48:12]
Ryan Seacrest
I'm Molly Roberts. And I'm Drew Goins. Each Friday on Impromptu, we talk through the questions we can't stop thinking about.
- [48:19]
Tutor Dixon
Do we need to rethink how much we drink?
- [48:21]
Ryan Seacrest
Why are companies really asking workers to come back to the office? Does boycotting a business actually work? Should we quit social media?
- [48:27]
Tutor Dixon
We're here when the news gets personal and the headlines hit home.
- [48:31]
Ryan Seacrest
Join Molly and me every Friday on Impromptu from Washington Post Opinions.
- [48:35]
Tutor Dixon
Find Impromptu Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [48:40]
Ryan Seacrest
Deciding on what to listen to is hard. Using Xumo to stream music from iheart 90s radio is easy or Play Iheart country or hip hop beats your choice. All for free. Stream Easy with Zumo Play get live and on demand entertainment with no logins, no signups, no accounts, no hassle. This April binge these classics, the Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, adaptation with Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep and the Fisher King with Robin Williams. All streaming free on Zumo Play. Go to play.zumo.com now. Life is hard. Xumo is easy. I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Finance. Let's be honest. Building weft doesn't look the same for everyone.
- [49:23]
Tutor Dixon
I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.
- [49:26]
Ryan Seacrest
To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.
- [49:30]
Michael Reagan
What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?
- [49:33]
Ryan Seacrest
Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.