Ronald Reagan at sixty-nine years old was the oldest president ever to be sworn into office. Sixty-nine days later and now seventy years old, he was preparing to give a speech to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations representatives as the President of the United States of America. An office which he was elected to only four months earlier with 489 electoral votes to the 49 electoral votes of the incumbent, President Jimmy Carter. Reagan’s solid win clearly demonstrated the American people’s …show more content…
The President was rushed to George Washington University Hospital where his composure was clearly seen. Before he realized the extent of his injuries, Reagan refused to be carried into the hospital and insisted that he be allowed to walk. Instead of panicking, the President considered the state of the nation and realized walking into the hospital would calm the public. Even after he was told the extent of his wound, Reagan did not allow his circumstances to shake his humorous spirit. While in the hospital, according to The New York Times, “The president remained in good humor: he reportedly told his wife Nancy, ‘Honey, I forgot to duck’ and his doctors, ‘Please tell me you’re Republicans.’ ” (The Learning Network, 2012) Reagan’s act of walking into the hospital unassisted and his good humor while in such a trying situation proved his