Nancy Reagan’s Last Words: ‘Do Not Vote For Donald Trump’
Former first lady Nancy Reagan, who died on March 6 at the age of 94, remained mentally alert “until the very end,” according to a private nurse, who told reporters Mrs. Reagan’s last words to her were, “Do not vote for Donald Trump.”
“She watched all the [GOP] debates,” said the nurse, identified as Althea Thoone. “She was very alert and kept up with all the news and current events, especially about the election. She said no true Republican would cast a vote for Donald Trump.”
“She was not happy at all because I don’t believe she thought Donald Trump was a real Republican. She took a turn for the worse after the [11th] debate when he started talking about his private parts, and all that other nonsense about Mitt Romney getting down on his knees.”
During the debate held on March 4, Trump responded to Romney’s public attack against him by saying, “He was begging for my endorsement. I could have said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees.’ He would have dropped to his knees.”
Trump also alluded to the size of his penis during the debate, responding to a joke about the size of his hands told by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
The so-called 11th Commandment, Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican, once espoused by Ronald Reagan, now seems to be a relic from the past, when a kinder, gentler political sensibility existed in Washington, at least between members of the same party.
“He broke that commandment, and a few others too, as far as I’m concerned,” said Thoone, who became somewhat of a confidant to Mrs. Reagan in her last years. “She remembered that crack he made about her not being ‘very beautiful’ too.”
“I wouldn’t say Donald Trump caused her to pass, because that’s up to the Lord, but he certainly didn’t help any. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and hearing up there. She would just look over to me and shake her head.”
Thoone reports that Mrs. Reagan hoped to attend at least one of the GOP debates, but the strain of travel and her advanced age prevented such a trip. She was happy to see George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara at the Feb. 25 debate, says Thoone.
Mrs. Reagan’s last public appearance was on July 6, 2015, at her 94th birthday celebration.