The debate audience at the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif., erupted in a standing ovation Wednesday night when former First Lady Nancy Reagan entered the room about 20 minutes before the event.
“Oh, there she is!” former Reagan speechwriter and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan exclaimed live on MSNBC, as the rousing applause threatened to drown out the chattering pundits on television.
“Mrs. Reagan right now is coming into the room, we’re watching that,” MSNBC host Chris Matthews announced as the debate hall reverberated with applause.
The ovation for Nancy Reagan -- who stood by Reagan’s side through an assassination attempt, a defense build-up that spelled the end of the Soviet Union, and the president’s heart-rending battle with Alzheimer’s – continued enthusiastically for nearly two minutes.
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