Nancy Reagan, who died on Sunday at the age of 94, is known for being President Ronald Reagan's protector, but she also served as a key influence in her husband's presidency, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday.
"Her instincts were usually very, very good, politically, in common sense and in terms of how the public would respond, and she was the one who would sort of push the issue, and she'd push him," Powell said in an interview with NPR's Michel Martin on the
"All Things Considered" program.
Powell became Reagan's national security advisor in 1987 during the Iran Contra scandal, and said that it was the late first lady who got her husband to admit to and apologize for the operation, which included selling arms to Iran in exchange for American hostages that were being held in Lebanon.
"A lot of people went in to tell him, 'Mr. President, you've got to do this,' but at the end of the day I think it was Nancy who finally pushed him over the edge," Powell told Martin.
Powell said he also saw Reagan in her role as her husband's protector, and agreed that "it was important for us to keep both of them happy, and I think we did a pretty good job."
He also noted that the president was not happy when his wife was out of town.
"She would occasionally go off to New York to visit with friends and to do shopping, and she'd be gone for several days," said Powell. "By day two we could see the president starting to fret.
"By day three, we would chat with each other and somebody would say, 'Call New York and get her home,' doing it in the most polite, proper way, of course."
Powell said his friendship with the former first lady grew after the Reagans left the White House, and he remembers the couple fondly as "the most gracious and charming president and first lady."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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