History Extra podcast Reagan's plan to 'make America great again'
Oct 16, 2025
Phil Tinline, an author and documentarian, delves into Ronald Reagan's influential 'Let's Make America Great Again' slogan and its striking resemblance to Trump's later use. Tinline paints a vivid picture of America's shifting self-image from postwar confidence through the turmoil of the 1970s. He highlights Reagan's unique blend of Hollywood charisma and political strategy, examines his relationship with the Christian Right, and discusses how his optimistic messaging contrasted with earlier grit. Tinline draws fascinating parallels between Reagan and Trump, shedding light on their legacies.
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Reagan's Original 'Great Again' Message
- Ronald Reagan used the slogan "Let's make America great again," a warmer variant of MAGA that invoked returning to a past golden age.
- Reagan framed US decline as reversible and offered optimism and ambition as the cure.
Crisis Created Space For Reagan's Offer
- Reagan capitalised on a long run of shocks: Vietnam, stagflation, oil crises and Watergate that dented US confidence.
- He offered a politics of limitless ambition to restore national self-belief.
Reagan's Checkered Hollywood Past
- Phil Tinline recounts Reagan's unusual past as a Screen Actors Guild leader and earlier New Deal sympathiser.
- Reagan's complex background included union leadership and public broadcasts against the KKK.