From the beginning of his [p]residency , Mr. Reagan and his aides have understood and exploited what they acknowledge to be the built[] in tendency of television to emphasize appearances and impressions more than information.

If you want to see how things haven't changed in the last three and a half decades, just read what the New York Times wrote about President Ronald Reagan. They are essentially pulling the same story out to write about President Donald Trump.

Central to the [p]resident's overall strategy has been his unusual ability to deal with television and print reporters on his own terms – to decide when, where[,] and how he will engage them. In short, the art of controlled access. Under that broad definition, even [p]residents who have disliked and distrusted the press have met with reporters on a fairly regular basis and given spirited, detailed answers to their questions. Mr. Reagan has been an exception. During his [a]dministration, he has tended to operate in a kind of cocoon, sheltered from the press. Compared with his predecessors, he has held few formal news conferences. In public appearances, he strictly limits opportunities for questions.

The media and Democrats worried that Reagan would start World War III, but he ended the Cold War. His famous bombing comment – "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." – is analogous to Trump's instantly famous "bigger button" tweet.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the "Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times." Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

The following comments about President Reagan are enlightening because they are so similar to what is said about Trump today. Maybe journalists could just substitute "Trump" for "Reagan" on old material using Microsoft Word and head to the bar. It would be a lot easier than saying the same things in different ways every day.

"Prepare yourself for some bad news: Ronald Reagan's library just burned down. Both books were destroyed. But the real horror: He hadn't finished coloring either one of them."

–Gore Vidal

"For too long in this society, we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over common community. For too long as a nation, we have been lulled by the anthem of self-interest. For a decade, led by Ronald Reagan, self-aggrandizement has been the full-throated cry of this society: 'I've got mine, so why don't you get yours' and 'What's in it for me?'"

–Joe Biden

"He's cutting the heart out of the American dream to own a home and have a good job ... and still he's popular[.]"

–Chris Matthews, Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked

"We cannot build a vital economy by delivering pizzas to one another."

–Jim Wright

"In Reagan's world, we have to be geared up to fight a foe that could barely feed its own people. And meanwhile, our real troubles have to be mocked. Global warming. Nuclear proliferation. Corrupt governments supported by my tax dollars and everyone's complacency."

–Robert Reed, Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 108

"Despite an unimpressive first term in office, which featured huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and tax increases for everyone else, Reagan was re[-]elected in 1984 in an unprecedented landslide, winning forty-nine of the fifty states against hapless Democrat Walter Mondale. While he has become the patron saint of all Republicans, especially those who revel in wearing the "conservative" mantle, Reagan's record is far, far removed from his rhetoric. Despite this, the collective delusion of his supporters is best exemplified by noted Republican speechwriter Peggy Noonan's claims, regarding his 1980 campaign promises, that they were "[d]one, done, done, done, done, done[,] and done. Every bit of it."

–Donald Jeffries, Hidden History: An Exposé of Modern Crimes, Conspiracies, and Cover-Ups in American Politics

(Quotations courtesy of GoodReads.)

Thank goodness we have Trump, definitely not an autocrat or dictator, who knows we should enforce laws and is trying to reduce the power of an ever powerful government and give the purse and power back to the people where it belongs. Thank goodness we have Trump instead of Hillary, who would have continued to amass more money and power for the greedy government.