ANALYSIS: In First Debate, a Shadow War Between Establishment Reaganism and Insurgent Trumpism

GOP candidates grappled with Ronald Regan’s legacy amidst a shift in the ideological landscape influenced by Donald Trump during Milwaukee debate.

President Donald Trump at a MAGA rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on March 28, 2019, and President Ronald Reagan in Ottawa, Canada, on July 18, 1981. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times and Georges Bendrihem/AFP/Getty Images

It’s not hard to understand why so many Republicans admire Ronald Reagan.

“The Great Communicator” sparked a conservative revival that fractured the remnants of the left-wing New Deal coalition. As president, he helped end the Soviet Union, winning the Cold War.