Trump was miffed at Reagan Library for not inviting him to speak — it's one reason he nixed debates: report
NBC News confirmed on Tuesday that Donald Trump was out when it comes to the Republican Party debates. But according to The Washington Post, one of the key reasons is the Ronald Reagan Library.
Reagan may still be one of the biggest names in Republican Party politics, but not to Trump.
Publicly, Trump claimed he doesn't trust the Reagan Library because one of the 23 members of the Board of Trustees is Frederick Ryan Jr., who once served as an adviser to Reagan. He also happens to be the publisher for The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, one of Trump's nemeses.
“I would not go there when he is the chairman,” Trump ranted in a radio interview.
Other members of the board are Rupert Murdoch, the owner of News Corp. parent company to Fox News. Another is Lachlan Murdoch. A few more are conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan; billionaire Jim Pattison, Goldman Sachs board chair John F. Rogers; Former California Gov. Pete Wilson (R), who endorsed Trump; and Steve Forbes. Of course, there are others on the board, like Elaine Chao, Trump's former Secretary of Transportation, who quit after Jan. 6. Trump has been attacking her husband, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) since leaving office.
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At issue might be something else, according to The Post.
"Trump has separately told others that he is upset at the Reagan Library for not inviting him to speak at a speakers series, called A Time For Choosing, that has served as a platform for a number of his rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former vice president Mike Pence and former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY.)," the report said.
The spokesperson for the Reagan Library confirmed Trump didn't get an invite, but their speaker series hasn't asked any former presidents to speak.
“No former president has been included in the Time for Choosing speaker series as we’re looking to surface new voices that haven’t held that level of office,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a person close to Ryan told The Post, he has “always recused himself from any conflictual decisions.” He's been on the board for 34 years.