Opinion

Biography looking for a proto-Trump is blind to Reagan’s vision

Reagan’s accomplishments as president are nitpicked into insignificance in a book that seems more intent on ransacking his administration for clues to explain the ascension of Donald Trump.

John RoskamColumnist

Dec 27, 2024 – 12.10pm

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George Orwell knew that truth can take many forms. There’s truth that can be proved, truth that people want to believe, and truth that people can be forced to believe. At the end of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston Smith traces “with his finger in the dust on the table: 2 + 2 = 5”.

And there is emotional truth about something that might not be strictly true but reveals a truth nonetheless.

John Roskam is a senior fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. Connect with John on Twitter.