Oral Interview Questions
1. At the time of Reagan's nomination as President, what pledges did he make to America? In
your opinion, were all of his commitments fulfilled?
2. What is your opinion on the credibility of Reagan's stance towards centralized government?
3. Do you think that as a two-time elected president in 1976 and 1984, he became a trailblazer?
4. Do you believe that Reagan played a role in the formation of the current Republican party as
we recognize it today?
5. What do you think was the impact of Reagan's campaign slogan "We Can Make America
Great Again" on both his presidency and Donald Trump's election in 2016?
6. What are your thoughts on the Strategic Defense Initiative, also referred to as the "Star Wars
Program"? Do you believe it was successful?
7. Can you share your thoughts on Reaganomics and explain both your agreements and
disagreements with it?
8. Do you believe that the Reagan Doctrine is still applicable today, or has it been dismantled?
9. What do you think was the reason for Reagan's election over Gerald Ford and Walter
Mondale?
10. Do you have any thoughts on what Reagan could have handled differently during the Iran-
Contra Scandal?
Oral Interview Summary
I conducted an interview with my brother, who has always had an interest in the Reagan
administration since he was young. Due to both of us being sick, we conducted the interview
over the phone, and my brother's wife recorded it. I sent the questions beforehand to give him
time to prepare, and I made a last-minute change to one of the questions, which caused him some
difficulty. Our grandfather had told us stories and shared his opinions on Reagan's presidency,
but I wanted to hear a millennial's perspective, rather than a Baby Boomer's more biased view. I
was specifically looking for someone who had studied the Reagan administration but had
developed their own judgments. My brother's opinion was not entirely the same as our
grandfather's, but it was not entirely different, either. He believed that Reagan could have done
things differently and that his showmanship garnered him more glory and credit than his political
pull. Although my brother answered all the questions, his views were not as strong as I had
hoped for. In hindsight, I would have preferred to interview our grandfather.
Oral Interview Analysis
During the interview, my brother and I discussed various aspects of Ronald Reagan's presidency.
The first question focused on the overall success of his presidency, and my brother believed that
Reagan kept most of his promises and that his ideology of centralized government was reflected
throughout his presidency. The second question was more specific, and my brother thought that
Reagan did his best to reduce governmental control. Questions three and four were related to the
conservative push and philosophy of Reagan, and my brother believed that Reagan played a part
in shaping the modern conservative moment. However, he also acknowledged that some of the
Republican party's ideas have since disappeared. Question five was about the correlation
between the Reagan and Trump election campaigns, and my brother believed that Trump's
campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," was designed to cater to the Baby Boomer
generation who longed for the feeling they had during Reagan's presidency. We also discussed
Reaganomics and the Star Wars Program, with my brother agreeing with Reaganomics but
believing that the Star Wars Program could have been handled differently. When asked about
why Reagan won the elections over Gerald Ford and Walter Mondale, my brother believed it was
due to his presentation of political ideas and his showmanship. Lastly, when asked about the
Iran-Contra Scandal, my brother had no opinion.
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