Author of books that inspired Reagan movie sees key comparisons between 2024 and 1980

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Paul Kengor, author of a couple of books that served as inspiration. for the movie “Reagan” sees similarities between the upcoming showdown between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris and the 1980 presidential election.

Kengor, a political science professor at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, has published a book called God and Ronald Reagan” in 2004, exploring the former president’s journey of faith. It became a hit and soon caught the attention of director Mark Joseph, who told Kangor he had been “waiting” for a book like this because no one had told this side of the Reagan story. however, he asked Kengor if anyone had the film rights to the book, and the rest is history.

When they got to talking, they decided to instead focus the film on another of Kengor’s books, Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, which was released in 2006 and focused on Reagan’s efforts to prevent communist expansion in the world. . “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid and Jon Voight, was released in August and grossed about $30 million, receiving poor reviews from most critics.

The word “inflation” was uttered more often by candidates in the 2024 elections than the word “communism.” Kengor acknowledges that times are “very different,” but the author still sees key similarities between the 2024 presidential election and the 1980 presidential election, when Reagan defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter by a landslide.

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Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office. (Noah “Nanea” Hamilton/Rawhide Pictures)

Slogans, firstly.

Bye “Let’s Make America Great Again“Now strongly associated with Trump and his MAGA hat-wearing supporters,” Kengor reminded readers that the phrase actually began with President Reagan.

“It’s quite interesting that in 1980, when Reagan ran against Jimmy Carter, he used a message that is very much in line with today’s Donald Trump, namely, ‘Are you better off now than you were four years ago?’ – said Kengor. Fox News Digital. “And, you know, that was Trump’s theme, and Trump’s phrase: ‘Make America Great Again.’ That was Reagan’s message during the 1980 campaign.”

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Kengor said he refreshed himself on the 1980 election campaign by re-reading “Crusader.”

“I think the second part of the book or the third part is called Make America Great Again.” And I saw this and I thought, I bet some people will read this now and think this is some Trump thing. But you know, it was Reagan. Reagan was the first.”

“Make America Great Again” hats. (Jay L. Clendenin/Getty Images)

Kengor rummaged through his table of old memorabilia, trying to find some old Make America Great Again campaign pins.

“But I have a button on my desk that says it has a picture of Reagan in 1980 and it says, ‘Make America Great Again.’ Trump didn’t steal it from Reagan. Trump used it in 2016 as a Reagan phrase, and then it caught on and eventually became a Trump phrase.”

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Reagan was known for his strong conservative principles. And while the Gipper was a leader from a bygone era, Kengor said his principles are still very much part of the current Republican platform, arguing that Trump is checking boxes.

“I wrote a book called 11 Principles of a Reagan Conservative, which is published in conjunction with the Young America Foundation and the Reagan Ranch Center,” he said. “And it lists sort of Reagan’s 11 key areas: faith, freedom, family, integrity, dignity of human life, limited government, tax cuts, peace through strength, anti-communism.”

Washington: President Reagan joins Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger (right) and others in laughing at a remark made by Vice President George W. Bush (left) before a Cabinet meeting. (Getty)

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“Trump may well check all 11 of Reagan’s principles and ideas,” Kengor continued. “So even though times are very different, conservatism believes that conservatism is based on time-tested ideas and principles. So, no matter where you are in a particular time or campaign, conservatives must embrace these principles if they are “we are true conservatives, so the ideas of the Reagan era must carry over to conservatives today, in 2024 and beyond.”