Someone sent me a link to an incredible time capsule: Ronald Reagan sitting down for a conversation with Johnny Carson in 1975. There are a few fascinating things about the interview, and I’m not just talking about Johnny Carson’s sports coat.

First, although I can’t quite tell, it looks as if the other guest is Sonny Bono, another big name in entertainment who became a Republican politician.

Second, Carson treats both Reagan and the voters respectfully. When’s the last time you remember a late-night talk show host doing that? The norm nowadays is for Republicans to be blacklisted on the late-night shows, Democrats to receive virtual tongue baths, and all conservatives, not just the politicians, to be lambasted as racist, stupid, misogynistic, and generally evil. This was a very different era.

Image: YouTube screen grab (edited).

Third, almost all of Reagan’s points are as valid today as they were then. The numbers are smaller—whether population size, government size, or the dollar amounts at issue—but the principles are timeless. If we were to apply Reagan's policies today, America would be in better economic shape, and there would be much more liberty.

Fourth, Reagan profoundly erred in trusting our intelligence agencies. A true warrior during the height of the Cold War, he couldn’t imagine that the intelligence agencies would openly weaponize their power to destroy American elections and criminalize politicians with whom they disagree.

Fifth, Reagan really was a great communicator. His clarity, focus, humor, and humanity are all amazing. It speaks to the power that the media already had in the 1970s and 1980s that so many people still insisted that he was a mindless buffoon, good only for reading a script. Even Saturday Night Live sometimes struggled with the stereotype the media had created:

Sixth, unlike Kamala, Reagan was perfectly comfortable taking questions and explaining his views and his policies to the American people.

And with that introduction, here is Ronald Reagan’s 1975 sit-down interview with Johnny Carson before a live audience. Sure, Carson wasn't hostile, but it was still more than 20 minutes of Reagan expounding on his political ideas:

For those of you who dislike Trump, remember that he’s mostly trying to bring Reagan’s economic policies back. If it helps, ignore Trump’s style, focus on Reagan’s words, and then vote for Trump.