Michael Reagan, RIP

For the last 13 years I talked to Ronald Reagan's adopted son every Thursday and helped him write his syndicated political column that often had a Ronald Reagan theme or reference.

From the great and Real Mike Rowe on X comes this snippet of his interview a bunch of years ago with Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s adopted son, who died two weeks ago.

This interview, which shows Michael at his affable and enthusiastic best, is especially sad for me.

For the last 13 years every Thursday morning I talked to Mike from LA and helped him with his weekly syndicated political column. We wrote about 650 conservative Republican columns together, many of which contained President Reagan stories like the ones he tells Rowe.

I wrote this ‘obituary’ column after his death.

https://cagle.com/.../a-classy-conservative-in-a-quirky.../

What Mike Rowe says ...

The video:

Michael Reagan died a few weeks ago, shortly after the New Year was rung in. He was 80.

When I learned of his passing, I went back and watched the conversation we’d had a few years earlier on the podcast. This occurred during the lockdowns, which means I didn’t have the pleasure of his company in person, but I nevertheless enjoyed every moment we spent, chatting about the lessons he’s learned from his famous father while growing up in Beverly Hills. I’m glad our paths crossed, albeit virtually.

Here’s a short clip from our conversation that gives some insight on what it was like to grow up with Ronald Reagan as your father. I admire the respect Michael had for his dad, and for the many ways he protected and preserved his legacy. I also enjoyed his book, Lessons My Father Taught Me, which more than lives up to its title.