"a Reagan Forum" Podcast

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back one week to April 20, 2023 for our in-person event with Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel. She was a speaker in the Reagan Foundation’s Time for Choosing Speaker Series, a forum for leading voices in the conservative movement. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is the second woman ever elected as Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the longest-serving RNC Chair since the Civil War. Under her leadership, the RNC raised record funds, made its largest ever ground game investment, and retired Nancy Pelosi by winning back the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Prior to her tenure at the RNC, Chairwoman McDaniel served as the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. During her Time for Choosing Speech at the Reagan Library, Chairwoman McDaniel addressed additional critical issues facing the future of the Republican Party.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back just over one week to April 2, 2023 for our in-person event with Auschwitz Survivor Tova Friedman. This event was our first event as part of our new special exhibition, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. which runs through August 13, 2023. Information on this exhibit can be found at ReaganLibrary.com/Auschwitz. Last November, we were contacted by the amazing staff of Holocaust Museum LA. They recommended we speak with Dr. Maria Zalewska, Executive Director of the Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial Foundation about a book she had put together called Honeycake and Latkes. The book is a beautiful collection of heirloom recipes and stories from Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors. She connected us with Tova Friedman whose New York Times bestselling memoir, The Daughter of Auschwitz, shares her string of near-death experiences in a Jewish Ghetto, a Nazi labor camp and Auschwitz. One of her recipes is also in Honeycake and Latkes. Tova is one of the very few Jews to have entere

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back a few weeks to March 16, 2023 for our in-person event with American businessman and politician Dave McCormick. Mr. McCormick served as President Bush’s Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs and served as the CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, from 2020-2022. He joined us at the Reagan Library to discuss his newest book, Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America, which is Dave McCormick’s vision for how to unlock America’s full potential for greatness. He sat down in conversation with Reagan Institute Director Roger Zakheim.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back just one week to March 23, 2023 for our private evening program to commemorate the opening of our special exhibition, “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” which opened to the public Friday, March 24, 2023. The West Coast debut of the 12,500 sq. ft. exhibition is the first of three final North American stops. Created by Spanish company Musealia together with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, and now being toured through North America by World Heritage Exhibitions, the exhibit displays the largest and most comprehensive collection of artifacts linked to the history of this German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back two weeks to March 8, 2023 for our in-person event with Dr. Condoleezza Rice who was a speaker in the Reagan Foundation’s Time for Choosing Speaker Series, a forum for leading voices in the conservative movement. From January 2005 to January 2009, Dr. Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, the second woman and first black woman to hold the post. Dr. Rice also served as President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor from January 2001 to January 2005, the first woman to hold the position. She is currently the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy. During her Time for Choosing Speech at the Reagan Library, Dr. Rice addressed additional critical issues facing the future of the Republican Party.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back just over one week to March 5, 2023 for our in-person event with Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis. He joined us as part of his Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival book tour and the program sold out in just over 12 hours. Governor DeSantis’s book reveals how he successfully implemented his goals for Florida, which he says is now a winning blueprint for patriots across the country. His book is a rallying cry for Americans who wish to preserve our liberties.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back one month to February 15, 2023 for our in-person event with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. For over a decade the Reagan Foundation has partnered with the Medal of Honor Society to hold their annual Medal of Honor Forum whereby Medal of Honor recipients speak with students about their stories of courage and sacrifice, exploring such themes as patriotism, citizenship, and integrity. During this year’s program we heard from Sergeant First Class Gary Littrell, US Army, Retired, who received the citation for his Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War after fighting in Kontum Province in April, 1970. The Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. It is awarded for gallantry and bravery at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.

In this week's Reagan Forum podcast, we go back almost one month to February 8, 2023, for our in-person event with the 70th Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, for his new book Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love. In today's program, he sat down in conversation with John Heubusch, Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back two weeks to February 7, 2023 for our virtual event with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson and United States Army First Sergeant, Retired, Matt Eversmann for their new book, Walk the Blue Line: No Right No Left – just cops telling their true stories to James Patterson. James Patterson is one of the world’s bestselling authors, as well as one it’s most trusted storytellers. His writing career is characterized by a single mission – to prove that there is no such thing as a person who doesn’t like to read, only people who haven’t found the right book. He’s donated over three million books to school children and to the military, as well as endowed over 5,000 college scholarships for teachers. His co-author for Walk the Blue Line is Matt Eversmann, an Army Sergeant whose inspiring story of survival during a 1993 hostile conflict in Mogadishu became immortalized forever in the epic film, Black Hawk Down.

February 6, 2022 marked the 112th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Wilson Reagan.  He used to love to joke that each birthday was the anniversary of his 39th birthday, so 2023 would have marked the 73rd anniversary of his 39th birthday! Since President Reagan’s passing on June 5, 2004, the Reagan Foundation has worked with United States Marine Corps Camp Pendleton to hold a birthday celebration on February 6th of each year to honor the life and legacy of our nation’s 40th president. Each year the program includes live musical entertainment from the 1st Marine Division Band, an honor guard, a rifle guard, and the official laying of the White House Presidential Wreath on President Reagan’s gravesite. Keynote speakers in prior years have included Ed Meese, Elizabeth Dole, James Baker, and Sam Donaldson. In this week’s A Reagan Forum podcast, we listen in to the ceremony held on February 6, 2023 with keynote speaker Dr. Henry Kissinger.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go back just one week to January 31, 2023 for our in-person event with former Congressman and New York Times bestselling author Trey Gowdy for his new book, Start, Stay, or Leave: The Art of Decision Making. The book is filled with surprising insights and questions, such as how to craft your unique vision of success, assess the price worth paying to achieve your goals, balance logic, emotion, and fear when facing a new challenge, chart the course of your life with the end goal in mind, and more. He discussed these topics and more during his conversation with John Heubusch, Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back two weeks to January 18, 2023 for our in-person event with William Inboden for his new book, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War and the World on the Brink, an account of how Ronald Reagan and his national security team confronted the Soviets, reduced the nuclear threat, won the Cold War, and supported the spread of freedom around the world.

Every year, the Reagan National Defense Forum seeks to honor individuals who have spent their careers cultivating American strength at home to ensure peace abroad. This year, the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute presented the 2022 Peace Through Strength Awards to former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre. Mark Esper and John Hamre are emblematic of that kind of patriotic service and selfless dedication to their country. Their speeches both reflect on President Reagan’s legacy of “peace through strength” and what it means for today’s world.

In this week’s Reagan Forum Podcast we continue our month long look back to our 2022 Reagan National Defense Forum. Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer facilitated the Reagan National Defense Forum’s closing plenary session featuring a conversation with former Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Mark Esper and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe. The discussion focused on how the United States should address the many threats to our national security. From the vantage point of having served in the highest positions of the U.S. government, panelists emphasized the importance of a “peace through strength” approach to American global leadership from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East to Europe.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marking the first major conflict in Europe since World War II, the United States can no longer be assured of a peaceful continent across the Atlantic. During the 2022 Reagan National Defense Forum’s 4th panel of the day, a panel moderated by FOX News Channel’s Jennifer Griffin and comprised of Senator Joni Ernst, Raytheon Technologies CEO Greg Hayes, Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth looked at how an engaged United States and a reinvigorated NATO represent the best path for peace and stability in Europe.

In last month’s December 15th podcast, we shared our 2022 Reagan National Defense Forum’s Keynote Address. In January’s podcasts we will share four additional panels with you. As previously shared, the Reagan National Defense Forum has quickly become one of our nation’s premier gatherings for defense and national security experts. The Defense Forum brings together leaders from across the political spectrum and key stakeholders in the defense community, including Members of Congress, current and former Administrations officials, senior military leadership, industry executives, technology innovators, and thought leaders. Their mission is to review and assess policies that strengthen America’s national defense in the context of the global threat environment. In this year’s fireside chat, United States Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines joined Andrea Mitchell of NBC News for a moderated discussion about the pressing security issues facing the United States. Director Haines provided her unique perspect

As we sit between Christmas and New Year’s, we take time to reflect on the year past and the year ahead. From all of us at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, we wish you and your family the happiest and healthiest of holiday seasons. In this week’s A Reagan Forum Podcast, we’re going to go listen to some of our “Best Of Ronald Reagan” podcasts to help keep you in the holiday spirit. We’re going to start with the best of his remarks around holidays.

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast, we go 1 ½ weeks to December 13, 2022 for our in-person event with Peter Thiel who was a speaker in the Reagan Foundation’s Time for Choosing Speaker Series, a forum for leading voices in the conservative movement. Peter Thiel is an entrepreneur and investor. He cofounded PayPal, led it as CEO, and took it public; he made the first outside investment in Facebook, where he serves as a director; and he cofounded Palantir Technologies, where he serves as chairman. He is a partner at Founders Fund, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm that has funded companies including SpaceX and Airbnb. During his Time for Choosing Speech at the Reagan Library, Peter Thiel addressed additional critical issues facing the future of the Republican Party.

In 2022, we were reminded of the fragility of peace. As we continue to follow the tragic events in Ukraine and keep our eye on a tenuous peace in the Indo-Pacific, Americans must remember the resolve and moral clarity of President Reagan, who explained, “We stand against totalitarianism, particularly imperialistic expansionist totalitarianism. We are for democracy and human rights.” During this year’s Reagan National Defense Forum our panels addressed how to rebuild and maintain the peace, and how we would do well to remember that a strong U.S. military is the best guarantor for that peace—and for freedom. Just like last year, this year’s Defense Forum’s keynote address was delivered by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Lloyd Austin.

President Reagan once said, “We of today must choose how we will respond to the Holocaust. Let us tell the world that we will struggle against the darker side of human nature; that with God's help, goodness will prevail and those who lost their lives will not be forgotten.” Here, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, we’re working to ensure that their lives won’t be forgotten. Just one month ago we held an event to announce our upcoming exhibition, Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. During this program we heard the moving testimony of two Auschwitz survivors, as well as received the first artifact that is a part of this extraordinary exhibition – a German WWII Train Car – the type used during the Holocaust to transport goods – and people – to Auschwitz. This very touching program began with the arrival of that train car – which was led by a procession of combat veterans on motorcycles.