Who Were Ronald Reagan's Most Famous Friends?

YouTube ^ | 09/02/2026 | Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute

[SmokingJoe]

This video, presented by Melissa from the Reagan Library, explores the eclectic and fun friendships of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Given his background in radio and Hollywood before entering politics, he maintained many high-profile relationships throughout his life.

Key friendships discussed:

Frank Sinatra: One of Reagan's closest friends (1:26-3:55). They met in Hollywood and remained close until Sinatra's passing in 1998. The library holds a game gift set Sinatra gave the Reagans for Christmas in the 1970s.

Bob Hope: A friend to 11 U.S. Presidents, Hope frequently joked with Reagan (3:56-6:13). The video includes a clip of them humorously roasting each other about their ages at a USO event.

Sylvester Stallone: Reagan hosted several events for the actor, including a White House screening of Victory (8:11-9:37). Reagan even referenced Rambo in his speeches.

Clint Eastwood: Their friendship was built largely on years of correspondence (9:38-11:38). Reagan famously used the line "make my day," which he attributed to Eastwood.

Tommy Lasorda: The Los Angeles Dodgers manager was a close friend who was occasionally sneaked into the Oval Office by staff to surprise the President (13:14-15:47).

Wayne Gretzky: Reagan met the hockey legend in 1982 and expressed great respect for him (16:36-18:09).

Additional highlights:

Upcoming Princess Diana Exhibition: Melissa announces a new, upcoming special exhibition at the library opening November 7th featuring 750 artifacts, including items related to the famous 1985 White House state dinner where John Travolta danced with Princess Diana (19:46-21:29).

9/11 Memorial: The library will host a free event for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 (21:52-22:21).

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History
KEYWORDS: reagan; reaganlibrary

[SmokingJoe]

So many famous Reagan friends I'd have included, not mentioned in this video.

Fun video to watch.