Ronald Reagan’s son says that of all the other 2016 Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump is the least similar his father.
In an interview with CNN’s Michael Smerconish, Michael Reagan, the conservative author and son of the former president whose presidential library in California will host the second GOP debate on CNN Wednesday night, singled Trump out as the least “Reaganesque” contender.
“Ronald Reagan didn’t attack the people around him. He didn’t demean the people around him. You know, he brought everybody together,” Michael Reagan said Saturday.
When Smerconish asked which of the candidates is least like his father, Michael Reagan answered, “Donald Trump.”
He said Trump will “throw people off the bus” rather than building coalitions that can help the GOP win national elections.
Michael Reagan also threw cold water on Trump’s August assertion that he had a strong relationship with his father.
“I would ask Donald Trump, exactly how many state dinners were you invited to?” he said.
He also said none of the current crop of GOP candidates are particularly “Reaganesque,” because his father was “likable and he was relatable.” The closest, he said, might have been former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who days ago dropped out of the race.