reagan. she had a rough start. we're gonna launch into right into her years as first lady. can you talk about the environment that she faced when she came in to the white house? i can first i would like to say thank you to the ronald reagan presidential foundation and institute for hosting us today and for celebrating nancy reagan mrs. reagan had a terrible first year and it was a variety of things certainly the attempted assassination of her husband made her much more cautious. she was already a cautious woman the media seem to hit her on everything she trying to do whether it was white house restoration, china. dresses a lot of things the previous first ladies had gotten compliments for she was getting criticized for and i think there's a very telling comment that catherine graham. they then owner of the washington post told her years later and catherine was definitely a liberal democrat and she came to her defense pointing out that the most scorching articles about her had been written by

ronald reagan is denied that.it becomes nancy reagan's job to ensure that what history sees is true to him and his vision. so the library is extremely important to her and's doing that. she wants to make sure there's the resources that it needs and also finding other ways the history remembers ronald reagan is true to ronald reagan she is suspicious of all the reagan wannabes for those who want to use his name and image. on the one hand with conservatives, ronald reagan becomes an icon. she raises one —- resist when they want to put reagan on the diamond knockoff fdr but there is a perception of him and he was reading lines that people for him. but then to put out his thoughts and thoughts and values and beliefs inwn his own handwriting.ha so he decided to publish his diaries very few presidents have done keeping real-time diaries so people can o see in his own hand and then publishes his letters and at one point all of the speeches he was writing when he was getting ready to run for president with his thoughts an

>> guest: nancy reagan was valuable to ronald reagan.if reagan was a shoe salesman she would have made sure he was the best shoe salesman in the world. she was not a passive little cookie baker but she was a traditionalist. she was elegant. she was beautiful and she also had a very good mind on her shoulders and she had a lot better antenna for detecting people who were using reagan to their benefit than he did. she was good at keeping people away who were not going to help her husband or who would hurt her husband. she famously was involved in the voice of personnel and sacramento when he was governor and more so when he was president. they were a true partnership and one of the great romances of white house history going back to george t and martha washingt. some presidential couples are more estranged than others but they were not only a loving couple but they were a good legal team although her influence was much more subtle than say eleanor roosevelt was. she was deeply effective as the first lady not like roosevelt or some others b

ronald reagan is denying that so it is it becomes nancy reagan's job. it's important to her in doing that. she wants to make sure that it has the resources that it needs and she also finds other ways to make sure history remembers ronald reagan in a way that is true to ronald reagan. she does something that i found fascinating which is while on the one hand, conservatives ronald reagan becomes this icon. but she also knows that there is still this perception among the liberal scholars and historians that he was just an actor reading lines other people wrote for him. his value and belief in his own handwriting so you see he begins to publish his diaries, something very few presidents have ever done in keeping real-time diaries so people can see in his own hand at the crucial juncture. he publishes his letters and all the speeches that he was writing as he was getting ready to run for president and you can see in his own hand that these were his thoughts and values she didn't want it to be a monument just to the past but also to point to the future which

reagan? the president himself said of nancy i can't imagine life without her. at the same time nancy worked hard to advance her own important initiatives. she was an advocate for foster grandparents and a champion of the arts. she poured herself into restoring and remodeling the white house enhancing its elegance and beauty. at a time when elected officials had not only worked in relationships, but friendships across the aisle. democratic speaker tip o'neill praised her efforts on a visit to the executive residence saying the white house has never looked better. nancy reagan cared deeply about the health and well-being of her fellow americans. perhaps her best known initiative was leading america's campaign against drug abuse. it's a bit ironic that the woman who would never take no for an answer ask an entire nation to just say no. well stir still serving his first lady. mrs. reagan received a frightening diagnosis breast cancer through her own personal trial including her public decision to

true to ronald reagan. she is suspicious of all of the sort of reagan wannabes who sort of want to co-opt and use his name and his image for their own agendas. and she does something, too, that i found fascinating, which is this, while on the one hand, among conservatives, ronald reagan becomes this icon, not only in ways that make her comfortable, now, she resists when they want to knock fdr off the dime and put ronald reagan on it. but she also knows that there's still this perception of him among liberals, liberal scholars, historians, his opponents. that he was just an actor, you know, he was reading lines that other people wrote for him. and she decides the very best, truest record is to put out there, his thoughts, his values, his beliefs in his own handwriting. and so you see her decide to publish his diary, something that very few presidents had ever done is keeping real-time diaries, so that people can see in his own hand what he was thinking at all of these crucial junctures. and she publishes all

reagan. how did you divide them up? >> interesting question, peter. they were divided up by chapters in his life. mostly political. the first book ever did was reagan's revolution. that was about the 1976 primary challenge against gerald ford. where he narrowly, narrowly, lost. just by a few -- again 1976. the next book i did was rendezvous with destiny. that was about the 1980 campaign. that took four years to complete. i did another book called last act which is about reagan post election years. no one had ever done a book about his post election years. when he did, there was a lot of living going on between the 13 years from the time he left the presidency in the time passed way. he flew hot air balloons he went fly fishing he did a lot of things long before he contracted alzheimer's. finally i did another book on reagan, this was about reagan rising. that period from 1976 to 1980. it was very important time for the conservative movement and american politics. you have the panama canal tre

reagan. are you done? i don't know how it felt like hours and i was telling my story she was tearing up and crying and i was crying because it's a lot of drama to it and she said well ken, i'm really going to enjoy having worked with me. i was replacing and robleski as the director of projects. i didn't know that at the time and when she said i'm going to like i'm glad you're going to be working with us. and i said well, i'm right down the street on independence and she said no i want you right here at the white as jim says jumps this mrs. reagan. this was an interview. and i i looked at him like really and so i got offered the job on the spot, which was really incredible for where i had come from and it tells you something that you know, we all have our stories but mrs. reagan, i will remember one one other story. after i left and i went to work for mcdonald's corporation and i became i started an organization go ronald mcdonald house charities, which you all know about it we started there was just me. in

the private life of nancy reagan. the book draws on interviews with reagan candidate members, friends and family members and share how she became one of the most influential first ladies of the century. we invite you to enjoy our virtual program with karen joined in conversation migratinginstitute board of trustees english . >> good afternoon. i'm pleased to welcome you today for this very special sneak the much anticipated biography on her first lady nancy reagan. the book the triumph of nancy reagan written by veteran washington post columnist karen tumulty will be released tomorrow and karen has graciously agreed to make the reagan library one of her first stops on the book tour. after devouring the book myself, i think readers will agree it's a well researched, balanced and insightful look into the life of one of the 20th century's most fascinating and consequential figures. in the interest of full disclosure i mentioned i was privileged to work for the radians as a young woman. first in the white house and then i

reagan's nice --niece. [applause] >> thank you dr. jill biden for hosting us today. it is a tremendous honor to be here with all of you. i had the privilege of announcing the united states postal service will issue a poster state -- postage stamp commemorating nancy ray -- nancy reagan. it celebrates the very best of americans and nancy reagan suffers that idea. people be the sixth first lady honored with a u.s. postage stamp. the previous stamps were issued for marker washington, the first american woman ever featured on a poster shape, molly addison -- eleanor roosevelt and lady bird johnson. nancy reagan was an inspiring individual. she was an important part of one of the most pivotal presidencies of the 21st century as the wife of the 40 first president of united states. her willingness to confront difficult and personal topics made her one of the most influential and on my -- admired first lady's. to recognize her contributions, we will issue the stamp on july six. the dedication ceremony will be held

reagan. your legacy is secure. well, let's have some fun. have you ever seen a first couple of president first lady who seemed more comfortable in front of the camera. what is that about the reagan's they they had had some training. they had had some experience, but when you get to the white house it's totally different. have your own personal photographer in your face all the time? pete souza marianne facelman have the close-up intimate portraits that they're going to share with you today of the of the reagans and some of the great stories behind the pete. let with you. so i thought first start at i would explain the function of the official white house photographer. the modern day presidency has had a team. of four official white house photographers you're there to document for battery the presidency and that does not just mean presidential events, but also a lot of the camden moments. behind the scenes and oftentimes in very intimate situations. you'll see some of those photos. a little la

reagan, how do you plead? >> guilty. >> mister president, how good a politician is mrs. reagan? >> absolutely sensational. don't you think so? >> took the words right out of my mouth. [laughs] mrs. reagan, some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career. you want to the presidency more than he did. >> i know. i read that, too. not true. i thought i married an actor. [laughs] actually, he was asked to run for office soon after we got married, and it turned it down, by the democrats. and then, when the governorship came along, i went along with it, but that wasn't something that i had carved out for our future, and certainly the presidency wasn't something that i said, you've got to do this. no. that isn't true. i think that people get mixed up, as far as i'm concerned, in terms of my pushing him, that they don't understand. if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i would be out pushing shoes! you know, whatever. >> aren't you glad he did? and >> yes, that was my next point. my next point was, that actually, as this all turned out,

i'm roger, director of the reagan institute. as you probably know, it is the home of the reagan foundation in washington dc. across from lafayette park in the white house. and, we had our grand opening. we are 100% ready for every single one of you to visit us in washington dc. now, as is our tradition at the library, and honor of our in and women that defend the freedom around the world, please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you, you may be seated. now, before we get started, there are a few people in the audience i would like to recognize. first, matt jacobs, formal prosecutor and running to represent california's 12th district. welcome. now, welcomed the city council members from the county of ventura thank you for being here this evening. and i want to recognize the executive director of the ronald reagan residential validation in

reagan. how do you plead guilty? mr. president how good a politician is mrs. reagan? oh, absolutely don't you think so? the words right out of my mouth. i think she prompting you again. is reckon some people have suggested that you have been the driving force in your husband's career and that you wanted the presidency more than he did. yeah. i know i've read that too. not true. i i thought i married an actor. and actually, he was asked he was asked to run for office. soon after we got married and turned it down by the democrats when he sold democrat. and then when the governorship came along i went along with it, but that wasn't something that i had carved out for for our future and certainly the presidency wasn't something that i said you've got to do this. no that that isn't true. i think what people get mixed up. as far as i'm concerned and this whole thing of my my pushing pushing him. that they don't understand that. if he had decided to go into the shoe business, i'd be out pushing shoes. you know, whatever aren't you? glad he didn't yeah, that was my next point

reagan came in, it was 70%.when reagan left, it was 28. poppa bush raised it to 31 with other tax hikes. bill clinton took it to perhaps 40. still below 70. george w. bush brought it back to 35. basically, the tax cuts stayed intact. they were not as low as 28 but basically stayed intact. but look -- with poppa bush, so many of us who helped vice president bush and tried to talk him out of raising taxes -- he said don't do it, don't do it, he did it and he lost the election. host: richard in brentwood, maryland. if you want a fuller, longer answer of that, this trick kudlow writes about that extensively in jfk and the reagan revolution. you and i were talking yesterday and you kind of have this happy warrior persona on the air. i was surprised you had called mr. biden. guest: it's just not my way. i gave him a chance and then i looked at thehost: our book tv h program continues from larry kudlow's library in connecticut. we want to hear from you. 202 is the area code. 202-748-8201 if you live in mountain and pac

i served in reagan's first term but nixon acknowledged in his books later that the reagan tax cuts worked he was intellectually honest. host: a collection of your columns came out in 2018 and want to do a quote from them and this is election day 2016 forcing trade deals is spot on acting and interest of american workers is correct but large scale tariffs are a terrible idea. >> yes. believe it or not, that is still my mantra. this is a good story. president trump was much more attuned to tariffs than im. before i went into office, and became his director march 2018, he t had just put through steel and aluminum tariffs. i did not agree in fact our laugh for and i wrote an op-ed piece criticizing the deal. president trump knew all about it he read it while he was calling me secretly to be the director the subject came up once or twice but we agreed to disagree. it is interesting i am not a fann of tariffs they are international taxes and they are tax breaks it is just as much as a break so i regard myself as a free trader but i will make two qualifications on this. one is that you do have t

again when reagan came in it was 70%. when reagan left it was 28. pumper bush raised it to 31 with other tax hikes. i believe bill clinton took it to perhaps 40 i'm going to say. so still below 70. and then george w. bush brought it back down to 35. basically the tax cut stayed intact. they were as low as 28. they basically stayed intact. the incentive stayed intact. look again with proper bush, somebody help vice president bush and tried to talk him out of raising taxes when he was president they said don't do it and he didn't do it and he lost the election. >> richard and mary laid if you want a full explanation and the longer answer that mr. kudlow writes about that pretty extensively in jfk and the reagan revolution. >> you and i were talking yesterday and we tried to have this happy warrior purse on on the air that's why i was a little surprised. >> it's just not my way. i am very critical of biden. it's funny i wasn't at the beginning i gave him a honeymoon open chance and then i took at the left and his policies. but for me to get personal li

ronald reagan famously forgave you. what message do you have for the reagan family now?well, for the reagan family, for the brady family, for the families of the other two victims, for jodie foster, i apologize for what i've done, for what i did 41 years ago. i'm truly sorry. i really am. i'm not sure they can forgive me. and i probably wouldn't even blame them if they don't forgive me. if i could take it back, i surely would. and i pray, i pray for the family every night. >> i remember that day as if it was yesterday. >> reporter: danny sprigs was a secret service agent on president reagan's detail, seen here that day. he was uninjured and became hinckley's arresting officer. >> i believe in rehabilitation for individuals for certain crimes. in this particular case, we had two individuals who received injuries that disabled them for the rest of their lives. i wouldn't necessarily say he's earned the right to be free. >> he extended his apologies not just to the reagan family, the brady family, jodie foster, and all the agents on that day. do you accept his apology? >> i

the reagan library board. so maybe the foundation board. maybe that's part of the deal. here was the real audience. the real audience for that speech. watch. >> after testimony for the history books, that was a speech for the history books. >> it's remarkable to see her sort of talk in such blunt ways about the way she sees the world and the courage that she sees in cassidy hutchison. she said if i don't get re-elected, oh well. >> did you see the line that got the applause? >> holy cow, craig. that's the commentary we've been accustomed to. >> yeah. can she pander any more? one sound bide, she used a first person pronounce five times in one sentence. this is all about her. this is all about her self-awareness. there's nothing about real ideology or anything else. if she's so worried about the commission and what they're investigating, why not investigate the summer of hate when the left burned 200 cities and caused $2 billion of damage and injured dozens of people, killed dozens of people? why isn't that bein

i mean, let me contrast reagan, but i just had about reagan with richard nixon. he was the first president i worked for and i was on it's an honor for an american to be in work for any president. so i've been very blessed in life, but what i found about nixon was that he was actually the best strategist. about international relations have anybody i've ever met and he just generally thought strategically he had a sense of the division. what a leader needs is a vision and then a strategy for carrying it out and the value is to keep it to keep going and uphold it and nixon is a bad strategist. he could figuratively go up on a mountaintop and look toward the past and see where we come from and then look out the other way into the future winston churchill once said that he who can see farther back and see farther ahead and that was certainly true for nixon and had that been everything about nixon. we needed to know he would have been one of the better presidents but in fact as you well know john he had demons inside him that he had never learned to control and they de

that's not the ronald reagan. i negotiated with i i yes will consider it because serious people have raised it, but i don't think that is a priority and if and he looked around at the two of us that were there and if either of you say think otherwise, let me know. we went on a matter of business a year later jane mayor donald mcmanus wrote landslide. they had access to that transition report and we had a three or four day firestone. of we had were hiding important information for the from the american people and and/or that we were spying on the president two decades later bill o'reilly. and killing reagan writes the same story. the same document and and again we i when we spent howard and spent more time. we spent days refuting that there was a coup or a cover-up or anything else than then the 10 minutes. we spent being briefed about potential 25th amendment issue. so it's a third the point i'm trying to make is the president's health is the third rail for white house staff. it is the third rail and that is and t

the first book ever did was reagan's revolution. that was about the 1976 primary

i look at -- i did the reagan series. when you talk about the southern strategy, what do you meet -- what he means is a lot of people will point out about democrats that this was a racist party, why would you want to be part of a racist party? you have to go really far back, for that is a significant chunk of the party and it changes dramatically during the time of the new deal. there's a time in the 19th century with a democrat parties associated with people and ideas the most americans now one not want to be -- would not want to be and that is true. their part -- not just in 1960 by 1928, they were -- there was something to say about it. the republican origin stories a beautiful one. it is an idealistic party that started in wisconsin in a schoolhouse on noble ideas. but it has associations, directly or indirectly with people like know nothings and anti-catholic groups. everyone has their political origin stories that have issues. that is a long way around the question. nixon engages in a southern strategy when he runs

the sample available exclusively at the reagan library where many pay tribute to missus, reagan's legacy over her just say no anti-drug campaign was first lady from 1981 until 1989. she passed away in 2016. a very good likeness of there's a new face of the deadly zoo in england. and it sure is a cute one. >> it's a baby or an attend that was born on june 25th. it's the zoo's 5th critically endangered born in iran and 10 zoo officials say they're thrilled with his rival and that he's alert and feeding. and as you can see, the little guy also enjoys snuggling up to mama and hanging out with the rest of that right there in a london gretchen is said. >> all right. that wraps kron. 4 news tonight at 6. she at 8 o'clock. have a good night. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: cabin fever. the fourth of july suspect and the tiny cabin he built in the backyard. his obsession with the number 47 on the side of his car. >> he was targeting another small town's fourth of july celebration. >> announcer: and little orphan aiden. his parents died shielding him from the rain of bullets. >> how do utility 18-month-old boy

that was ronald reagan's genius.link economic faith with faith in america. >> no sitting president had ever visited the new york stock exchange before. but it seems safe to say no recent president would have beaten reagan for the honor had a vote been taken among traders. they gave him round after round of cheers. >> we're going to turn the bull loose. >> the whole world, from reagan's white house on, was basically saying wall street is the engine of our economy. it represents growth. it represents opportunity. it represents the american dream. so these guys were basically saying, we're going to go do it. >> this is the big draw on wall street, the smell of money. >> this is where the action is. this is the over-the-counter trading for shearson layman. more than 17,000 daily transactions involving millions of shares and millions of dollars, made and lost here every day. and it's a game for young people. >> when you get home at the end of the week and you look back at what you've done sitting at this desk, what gives

reagan which was unveiled by first lady jill biden. and at 4:00 p.m.astern will feature author bruce ragsdale winner of this during a ceremony at mount vernon for his book washington at the plow the founding farmer and the question of slavery. exploring the american story pay watch american history tv saturday on cspan2 and a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org/history. click cspanshop.org's online store c-span products apparel books home to core and accessories. there's something for every c-span fan and every purchase helps supported nonprofit operations. shop now or any time at cspanshop.org. >> weekends on cspan2 are an intellectual feast. every saturday american history tv documents america story. on sunday book tv and she is the latest nonfiction books and authors but funding for cspan2 companies television companies and more including comcast. >> are you thinking this is just a different committee center? no it's way more than that. skirt wife filed enabled so students from low income families can get the to

reagan. how do you plead guilty? mr. president how good a politician is mrs. reagan?

were excited until you met ronald reagan. >> i was. to back up, summer of 1984, republican and democratic jnational convention going on. democrats went first, party outd of power and i was so enthralled. there she is just like the women who raised me, i italian catholic woman, congresswoman from queens, democratic nominee, tapped her and she's going to get her a primetime speech and accept the nomination, first woman ever on a major party ticket. i listened to her and i thought she was a great messenger but the message didn't hit me the way president reagan's message the next week at his. calling out communism, i think he just had a joyful way of communicating free-market capitalism of communicating a life important to invest in military strength, why it is important going back to an honest day's wage for an honest days of work. >> were you attracted to the fact that youse have a sense tht he could leave, his instincts? >> the election m cycle, he won every state and the district of columbia, i got to meet himmp because at that time, r

reagan which was unveiled by first lady joe biden. we feature author bruce ramsdell winner of this year's george washington prize. he won during a ceremony at mount vernon for his book the founding father and the question of slavery. watch american history tv saturday on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime atc-span.org/history . >> c-span shop.org is our online store. browse through apparel, books, home decor and accessories. there's something for every c-span fan and every purchase of support our nonprofit operations. shop now or anytime at c-span shop.org. weekends on c-span2 are an intellectual feast. every saturday american history tv documents america's stories and on sunday book tv brings you the latest in nonfiction books and authors. funding for c-span2 comes from these television companies and more including cox. >> homework the heart squatting in a diner for internetwork is even harder. that's why we are providing low income students access to affordable internet so homework can jus

i was not registered to vote i missed voting for ronald reagan by two and a half months. that's right because you're born in january 20th, and that's right being able to vote for him. i was still 17 for his re-election. you're absolutely right the first words in my entire book. here's the deal donna, you know, by every imaginable metric. i should have been a democrat and liberal and a feminist and probably a man hater too. my father left the men in my life my uncles my cousins. they expanded family members all these great male role models in my life who stepped in and and stepped up for me. they pretty much were all members of the private trades carpenters and welders and iron workers plumbers and who you know graduated high school with their skill certificate and their high school diploma went to work right away and have had those jobs for decades being able to support themselves and their families the most wonderful people so, you know, they tend toward the democratic party irish and italian catholics at that time. i think, you know not to over generalize. they absolute