Thirty-nine years ago today, the nation was gripped by a life or death health crisis. Ronald Reagan had been shot and seriously wounded, and the country waited anxiously to see if our 70-year-old president would survive surgery to remove an explosive bullet that had lodged a mere inch from his heart. Thanks to the incredible skill of surgeons at the George Washington University Hospital, to which Reagan had been rushed because of an alert Secret Service agent who saw the president coughing up frothy red blood, he made it. But not exactly with flying colors.
The nation was not told so at the time, but Reagan developed a post-operative infection, which nearly killed him. Senior White House aides kept that information from the public for fear that the stock market would tumble and/or the Soviets would somehow take advantage. Reagan eventually fully recovered, though wife Nancy Reagan would later tell people, “Ronnie almost died.”
Not only did he live, but he went on to be the most successful and popular president in modern history. As we look back on that dark day 39 years ago, there are two important lessons from the Reagan presidency that would serve us well to remember as we face another life or death health crisis — this time for the entire country.
First, maybe because she was a doctor’s daughter, Nancy Reagan — and therefore, Ronald Reagan — listened to what their doctors told them. They never substituted their own judgment for that of trained medical professionals. I remember being with the Reagans early on in his presidency at an event in the Blue Room of the White House. After they had concluded a long receiving line, where they shook hands with hundreds of guests, two aides appeared with soapy washcloths (Purell would not be invented until 1988) with which the Reagans washed their hands.
I gave a quizzical look to Nancy Reagan, whose words I remember vividly to this day: “My father told me that the way most people get colds, Mark, is by shaking hands and then touching their eyes or nose. You should wash your hands, too.” I did.
Receiving lines and the assassination attempt were not the only health challenges the Reagans faced. Both would be treated for cancers during their years in the White House. And when they were, they always did as their doctors advised. When breast cancer was discovered, Nancy Reagan faced criticism for her decision to have a mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy. But that’s what her doctors advised. She and her husband believed that medical decisions should be made by medical experts.
Second, Ronald Reagan refused to allow politics to ever be a consideration when deciding on what was best for the country. From the first days of his presidency, he warned Cabinet members and aides not to ever discuss how a decision might affect his popularity. The only criterion for him was what was in the best interests of the American people.
One wonders as President Trump wrestles with the coronavirus crisis, whether he is applying the same standard. Is he making decisions solely on the basis of what medical professionals recommend, or is he factoring in how what he does will affect his standing in the polls?
Trump knows that a robust economy would be his greatest asset in a campaign for reelection. Anything threatening that is bad news for him, which likely explains his ridiculously selfish wishful thinking and initial inability or unwillingness to speak honestly about the reality of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Only when it became impossible to ignore the grave dangers the COVID-19 virus poses did Trump address the crisis as he should have from the beginning. What that delay cost us in terms of response time and lives lost can never be calculated.
The good news is that Trump has the benefit of access to the best medical experts in the world. While Doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci are respectful government employees who publicly defer to their boss, the fact of the matter is that they know a lot more about what makes sense for public health than does Trump. They should be calling the shots as to when the country “returns to normal.” We can trust them because they have no motivation other than what is in the best interest of public health. Can the same be said of Trump?
It may be tempting to try to balance the health of the populace with the health of the economy, but we cannot have a healthy economy if tens of thousands of people are sick and dying. Simply put, profits over people is never the right decision.
Reagan recovered from a near-fatal shooting and later cancers because he followed his doctors’ orders. When it comes to establishing guidelines for opening schools and businesses, Trump should do exactly the same.
Mark Weinberg is an executive speechwriter and communications consultant who served as a special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary in President Ronald Reagan’s White House, and as director of public affairs in Reagan’s office. He is the author of the bestselling memoir Movie Nights with the Reagans (Simon & Schuster).
