Says that Ronald Reagan said he felt like he "was the one shaking hands with the president" when he met Donald Trump.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Ronald Reagan didn't say he felt like he “was the one shaking hands with the president” when he met Donald Trump.
No, Ronald Reagan didn't say meeting Trump felt like “shaking hands with the president”
Did President Ronald Reagan sense he had met a successor to the presidency after shaking hands with a young Donald Trump? No, but a photo of the two men that appeared on Facebook on Feb. 4 suggested as much.
"For the life of me, and I’ll never know how to explain it, when I met that young man, I felt like I was the one shaking hands with the president," the post claims Reagan said about meeting Trump.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Though there are several photos of the former president and Trump together, the meetings didn’t inspire Reagan to wax poetic about the current commander in chief.
Featured Fact-check
The photo being shared here is authentic and dates back to Nov. 3, 1987, said Joanne Drake, chief administrative officer of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. The image shows then-president Reagan shaking Trump's hand in the Blue Room at a reception for members of an art and preservation in embassies foundation.
But Drake said the quote attributed to the 40th president about the would-be 45th president is inaccurate: "He did not ever say that about Donald Trump," she said.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
PolitiFact Rating: 
Our Sources
Facebook post, Feb. 4, 2019
GQ, "Donald Trump loves Ronald Reagan, even though Reagan never liked him back," Jan. 9, 2017
Donald Trump tweet, Jan. 9, 2017
Email interview with Joanne Drake, chief administrative officer, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Feb. 4, 2019
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
No, Ronald Reagan didn't say meeting Trump felt like “shaking hands with the president”
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.