By the mid-1980s, Ronald Reagan was riding high. The economy had bounced back, and his “Morning in America” message carried him to a landslide re-election. But behind the optimism, crises brewed. At home, the AIDS epidemic spread while the White House stayed silent. Abroad, Reagan’s “evil empire” speech, nuclear near-misses, and the launch of his “Star Wars” missile defense plan pushed the Cold War to its most dangerous point in decades. Then came a new face in Moscow, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the first real chance to imagine a world without nuclear weapons.

Was Reagan’s success during these years a triumph of vision, or of image? In this episode, join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they explore the highs, the crises, and the contradictions that defined the most pivotal stretch of his presidency.

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Assistant Producer: India Dunkley

Producer: Fiona Douglas

Video Editor: Kieron Leslie 

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson 

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Head of Digital: Sam Oakley

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport 

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