NO! I’d place a considerable bet on that.

I didn’t agree with Reagan on more than a few matters, but I had to acknowledge his political skills. I especially approved of his vision for America and our role in the world. He urged us to be “a shining city on a hill,” a champion of democracy, the uniter of the free world. By our example he wanted us to lift other nations along with ourselves.

He was sometimes criticized for projecting too rosy a view of things, but on the whole, his optimistic nature served us well; he urged us to be better. And he had a sense of humor that he used genially, effectively, and mostly fairly.

We knew where Reagan stood as a principled conservative. At the same time, he knew how to get along with the opposition. His cooperative relationship with Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is legendary.

Given the idolization so many Republicans feel for Reagan, how can they abide the sorry excuse of a presidential candidate currently corrupting their party? The contrast could not be starker—Trump is the total anti-Reagan.

• Fundamentally, Trump is not committed to democracy, not internationally but also not even at home. As President, he repeatedly tried to dismantle the guardrails of functional democratic government. He made unambiguously clear his inclination to push the boundaries of the Constitution.
• In foreign affairs Trump is essentially an isolationist. He does not grasp the importance of cooperative relationships with allied nations. On the contrary, as President, he unfortunately dissolved desirable international accords. His only interest in other nations is simply transactional. The foreign leaders he admires and would like to emulate, the ones he cozys up to, are dictators and autocrats—Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, and Recep Erdogan.
• Unlike Reagan, Trump is not a real conservative. He does not have any core beliefs beyond the pursuit of self-interest. The policy positions he adopts are dictated by whichever direction the winds of personal advantage for him and his ilk are blowing. If you are curious about how far he would like to go, read Project 25, a political map for his second term created by his extremist allies. J. D. Vance, his running mate, wrote its preface.
• In contrast to Reagan’s sunniness, Trump is the embodiment of pessimism, of unceasing negativity. Examples are legion. His projected picture of America is not Reagan’s “shining city,” but dark and inward-looking. He calls us a “failed nation,” a “third-world country.” He is a divider. His modus operandi is to foment hatred and distrust of the “other,” whether the “other” be other races, immigrants generally, or political opponents.
• He claims to be for law and order. Oh, the irony. This from a convicted white-collar felon who is determined to avoid justice personally on several fronts. His approach to reducing crime will be, he says, turning the police loose for one day of unrestrained “police violence” and if necessary using military force against American citizens. He does not hide that, if elected, he will use the Justice Department to go after his enemies.
• Trump is a congenital liar. He can’t say or write three sentences without falsehood. He’s not even a sophisticated liar. He counts on coarse repetition and the gullibility of his listeners/readers. Who is willing to say that doesn’t matter to our nation’s President?
• Reagan had appropriate presidential dignity and manner. He did not go about the world embarrassing us. In sharp contrast, Trump is a downright nasty, insult-spewing buffoon. His boorish attempts at humor are those of a crude self-centered twelve-year-old. He lacks entirely any skills of diplomacy beyond bullying, but conversely is narcissistically vulnerable to flattery.
• Reagan surrounded himself generally with experienced, able advisors such as George Schultz and James Baker III. Look at what we had with Trump—the likes of Bill Barr, Steve Bannon, and Steven Miller. At least seven (and counting) of Trump’s closest allies are serving prison sentences. Many of those who spoke truth to him in his administration were fired because he considered them disloyal; equally many others resigned because they were disgusted with his lack of principle or his incompetence. If he were to be elected again, clearly sycophantic loyalty to him would determine his appointments.

Would Reagan be persuaded to vote for Trump simply for party loyalty? No, he’d join with Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake, Gen. John Kelley and Christine Todd Whitman, and several million other true Republicans who this time around will vote for the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. They know that preserving our democratic (little d) institutions and guardrails is paramount in the face of the threats presented by Trump. Reagan would certainly know that partisan issues do not rise to the present level of urgency.

Can you imagine that Reagan, guardian of American democracy, would even consider for a moment supporting Trump who tried to dismantle democracy’s cornerstone by overturning the 2020 election, and who ever since has persisted in his despicable efforts to undermine the confidence of Americans in our electoral process? No, Reagan would be appalled—as every American should be.

If you want a thorough review of all the reasons Trump should never get near the Oval Office again if you want to be reminded of all the ways as President he damaged our country at home and our standing in the world, look up the New York Times Editorial Board’s multi-part “Why Trump Is Unfit for Office.”

Perhaps Reagan, one of our oldest presidents, and Trump do have one thing in common. In Reagan’s last years in office, he was fighting off increasing dementia. Similarly, judging from his performance in recent rallies and interviews, the seventy-eight-year-old Trump seems increasingly to be showing signs of a scattered mind. It’s as if he is wading around in a quagmire of irrelevant trivia. If you haven’t been paying attention, wake up and take a look before you vote.

Almost inevitably a majority of Idaho voters will deliver our state’s four Electoral College votes to Trump, that same Trump whom 154 presidential historians several months ago ranked as the very worst of America’s forty-six presidents—dead last. Many of those Idaho voters, for a variety of reasons, will rationalize their choice, essentially being willing to sell out their birthright of American values for “a mess of pottage” (see Genesis 25:29-34). Will they be proud of themselves the morning after, knowing what they know—or should know by now—about this unprincipled, narcissistic huckster?