"Reagan’s image improved substantially in the years after he left office"
Or maybe after he left office the press no longer felt compelled to continue to lie and distort President Reagan's image...
Reagan had the highest approval ratings on his departure from office of any president for whom data is available.
Guess it didn't take long for those "average" ratings to begin to change.
The only dunces who didn't get it immediately were the einsteins on university faculties, media, and other braindead lefties.