Nancy Reagan Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Later life == Though Reagan was a controversial first lady, 56 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of her when her husband left office on January 20, 1989, with 18 percent having an unfavorable opinion, and the balance not giving an opinion.<ref name="Nancy Reagan's poll numbers">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/07/opinion/polls/main621632.shtml|title=A Look Back At The Polls|access-date=October 14, 2007|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc|date=June 7, 2004}}</ref> Compared to fellow First Ladies when their husbands left office, Reagan's approval was higher than those of [[Rosalynn Carter]], [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Melania Trump]]. However, she was less popular than [[Barbara Bush]] and [[Michelle Obama]], and her disapproval rating was double that of Carter's.<ref name="Nancy Reagan's poll numbers" /> [[File:Nancy Reagan official White House portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Reagan's official White House portrait in the [[Vermeil Room]] ]] Upon leaving the White House, the couple returned to California, where wealthy friends purchased them a home at [[668 St. Cloud Road]] in the wealthy [[East Gate Bel Air, Los Angeles|East Gate Old Bel Air]] neighborhood of [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-12-04/news/vw-1262_1_nancy-reagan/8 | title= The Reagan Re-Entry: After Years in the Capital Fishbowl, the First Couple Hope to Find a Little Calm in a Much Changed L.A. | author=Beyette, Beverly | author2=Betty Cuniberti| newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=December 4, 1988}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Stevens |first=Pam |title=Reagan paid back his friends for house they bought for him |publisher=CNN |date=January 21, 2001 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/reagan.house/index.html |access-date=November 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014210750/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/reagan.house/index.html |archive-date=October 14, 2007 }}</ref> dividing their time between Bel Air and the [[Rancho del Cielo|Reagan Ranch]] in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], California. Ronald and Nancy regularly attended the [[Bel Air Church]] as well.<ref name="Agenting for God">{{Cite news| last = Netburn| first = Deborah| title = Agenting for God| newspaper = Los Angeles Times| date = December 24, 2006| url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1185261551.html?dids=1185261551:1185261551&FMT=ABS| access-date = November 16, 2007| archive-date = May 25, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110525084617/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1185261551.html?dids=1185261551:1185261551&FMT=ABS| url-status = dead}}</ref> After leaving Washington, Reagan made numerous public appearances, many on behalf of her husband. She continued to reside at the Bel Air home, where she lived with her husband until he died on June 5, 2004.<ref name="CNNHealth">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.health/ |title=Ronald Reagan dies at 93 |publisher=CNN |date=June 5, 2004 |access-date=February 7, 2007}}</ref> === Early post–White House activities === In late 1989, the former first lady established the Nancy Reagan Foundation, which aimed to continue to educate people about the dangers of substance abuse.<ref name="Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp|title= Nancy Reagan: Her Life and Times|access-date= May 12, 2007|publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071112053844/http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Foundation teamed with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow in 1994, and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program. She continued to travel around the United States, speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse. {{quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.|source=— Nancy Reagan (May 2004)<ref name="BBC Nancy's image" />}} Her memoirs, ''[[My Turn (memoir)|My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan]]'' (1989), are an account of her life in the White House, commenting openly about her influence within the Reagan administration, and discussing the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |title=My Turn Review |access-date=March 28, 2007 |publisher=A-1 Women's Discount Bookstore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134706/http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> In 1991, the author [[Kitty Kelley]] wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Reagan, repeating accounts of a poor relationship with her children, and introducing rumors of alleged sexual relations with singer [[Frank Sinatra]]. A wide range of sources commented that Kelley's largely unsupported claims are most likely false.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-13-kelley-bush-book_x.htm|title=Critical book on Bushes sparks firestorm|date=September 13, 2004|access-date=December 24, 2007|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|last=Kiely|first=Kathy|quote=In 1991, The New York Times published a front-page story on Kelley's biography of Nancy Reagan—and then apologized for repeating some of its salacious charges without attempting to verify them.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2106746/|title=Kitty Kelley: Colonoscopist to the Stars|author=Crowley, Michael|access-date=June 13, 2009|date=September 15, 2004|work=Slate}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Fact or fiction? The incredible world of Kitty Kelley|author=Usborne, David|work=The Independent|date=December 15, 2006|access-date=June 20, 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3665-2004Sep7.html|title=Media View Kitty Kelley's Bush Book With Caution|author=Kurtz, Howard|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 8, 2004|access-date=June 20, 2009|author-link=Howard Kurtz}}</ref> In 1989, the [[IRS]] (Internal Revenue Service) began investigating the Reagans over allegations they owed additional tax on the gifts and loans of high-fashion clothes and jewellery to the first lady during their time in the White House<ref name="nyt120689">{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6D9113CF935A35751C1A96F948260 | title= Gifts and Loans to Nancy Reagan Stir I.R.S. Interest in High Fashion | author=Hershey, Robert D. | work=The New York Times | date=December 6, 1989 | access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> (recipients benefiting from the display of such items recognize taxable income even if they are returned).<ref name="nyt120689" /> In 1992, the IRS determined the Reagans had failed to include some $3 million worth of fashion items between 1983 and 1988 on their tax returns;<ref name="irs">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710003104/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2009|title=Nancy with the Golden Threads|author=Castro, Janice|date=January 27, 1992|access-date=January 28, 2008|magazine=Time}}</ref> they were billed for a large amount of back taxes and interest, which was subsequently paid.<ref name="irs" /> After President Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]] in 1994, she made herself his primary caregiver, and became actively involved with the National Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the [[Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute]] in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> In April 1997, Nancy Reagan joined President [[Bill Clinton]] and former Presidents Ford and Bush in signing the Summit Declaration of Commitment in advocating for participation by private citizens in solving domestic issues within the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/29/us/presidents-call-for-big-citizenship-not-big-government.html?mtrref=topics.nytimes.com|title=Presidents Call for Big Citizenship, Not Big Government|first=James|last=Bennet|date=April 29, 1997|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Nancy Reagan was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor, by President [[George W. Bush]] on July 9, 2002.<ref name="President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award">{{cite press release |url= https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020709-8.html |title= President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award | date=July 9, 2002 |via= [[NARA|National Archives]] |work= [[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=March 21, 2007 }}</ref> President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993. Reagan and her husband were jointly awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] on May 16, 2002, at the [[United States Capitol]] building, and were only the third president and first lady to receive it; she accepted the medal on behalf of both of them.<ref name="Congressional Gold Medal History">{{cite web |url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |title= Congressional Gold Medal History |access-date=March 8, 2007 |publisher= United States House of Representatives}}</ref> === Funeral for President Reagan === {{Further|Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan}} [[File:Nancy Reagan says final goodbyes to RR June 11, 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Reagan says her last goodbye to President Ronald Reagan following a [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|week-long state funeral]], 2004]] Ronald Reagan died in their Bel Air home on June 5, 2004.<ref name="CNNHealth" /> During the seven-day [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|state funeral]], Nancy, accompanied by her children and military escort, led the nation in mourning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb999b159&templatename=/article/article.html |title=Nancy Reagan |year=2006 |access-date=February 16, 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313110642/http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb999b159&templatename=%2Farticle%2Farticle.html |archive-date=March 13, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She kept a strong composure,<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> traveling from her home to the [[Reagan Library]] for a memorial service, then to Washington, D.C., where her husband's body [[Lying in state|lay in state]] for 34 hours prior to a national funeral service in the [[Washington National Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The Office of Ronald Reagan|date=June 6, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|title=Outline of Funeral Events in honor of Ronald Wilson Reagan|url=http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com/pressrelease_st5.asp|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080419070229/http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com/pressrelease_st5.asp |archive-date = April 19, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> She returned to the library in [[Simi Valley]] for a sunset memorial service and interment, where, overcome with emotion, she lost her composure and cried in public for the first time during the week.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/05/national/main621238.shtml | date=June 12, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|publisher=CBS|title=A Nation bids Reagan Farewell}}</ref> After receiving the folded flag, she kissed the casket and mouthed "I love you" before leaving.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122528,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017054417/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C122528%2C00.html |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |title=Reagan Laid to Rest |access-date=March 24, 2007 |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=June 12, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the week, [[CNN]] journalist [[Wolf Blitzer]] said, "She's a very, very strong woman, even though she looks frail."<ref>{{cite news |date=June 9, 2004|title=Reagan's Casket Arrives in Washington|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/09/se.03.html|format=Transcript|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 2, 2007}}</ref> She had directed the detailed planning of the funeral,<ref name="Nancy funeral role">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0DF1330F931A25755C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=The 40th President: The President's Widow; For a Frail Mrs. Reagan, A Week of Great Resolve|date=June 12, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|work=The New York Times|author1=Nogourney, Adam |author2=Bernard Wienrob |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> which included scheduling all the major events and asking former President [[George H. W. Bush]], as well as former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]], former Soviet Union Leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], and former Canadian Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]] to speak during the National Cathedral Service.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> She paid very close attention to the details, something she had always done in her husband's life. [[Betsy Bloomingdale]], one of Reagan's closest friends, stated, "She looks a little frail. But she is very strong inside. She is. She has the strength. She is doing her last thing for Ronnie. And she is going to get it right."<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> The funeral marked her first major public appearance since she delivered a speech to the [[1996 Republican National Convention]] on her husband's behalf.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> The funeral had a great impact on her public image. Following substantial criticism during her tenure as first lady, she was seen somewhat as a national heroine, praised by many for supporting and caring for her husband while he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.<ref name="BBC Nancy's image">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3794125.stm|title=Nancy Reagan emerges as public icon|work=BBC News|date=June 10, 2004 |access-date=November 2, 2007}}</ref> ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' opined, "after a decade in the shadows, a different, softer Nancy Reagan emerged."<ref>{{cite news|title=A warm public embrace for the new Nancy|access-date=December 13, 2008|author=Cannon, Angie|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=June 21, 2004|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/reagan/articles/21nancy.htm}}</ref> === Widowhood === Following her husband's death, Reagan remained active in politics, particularly relating to [[stem cell]] research. Beginning in 2004, she favored what many consider to be the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party's]] position, and urged President George W. Bush to support federally funded embryonic stem cell research, in the hope that this science could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite journal | first = Erika |last=Check | title = Bush pressured as Nancy Reagan pleads for stem-cell research | journal = Nature | year = 2004 | volume = 429 | page = 116| doi = 10.1038/429116a | pmid = 15141173 | issue = 6988| bibcode = 2004Natur.429..116C | doi-access = free }}</ref> Although she failed to change the president's position, she did support his campaign for a second term.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-03-nancy-reagan-bush_x.htm|title= Former first lady Nancy Reagan supports Bush's re-election|access-date=October 17, 2007 |newspaper=[[USA Today]]| date = August 4, 2004}}</ref> [[File:President Bush, Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan.jpg|thumb|Reagan dedicates the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Library as President Bush and his wife Laura look on, October 2005]] In 2005, Reagan was honored at a gala dinner at the [[Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center|Ronald Reagan Building]] in Washington, D.C., where guests included [[Dick Cheney]], [[Harry Reid]], and [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref name="dinner-wapo">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051200490_pf.html|title=Just Say Yes: Nancy Reagan Welcomed Back at Tribute|date=May 12, 2005|access-date=May 17, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Roberts, Roxanne}}</ref> In 2007, she attended the [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|national funeral service for Gerald Ford]] in the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. Reagan hosted [[Republican Party presidential debates and forums, 2008|two 2008 Republican presidential debates]] at the Reagan Presidential Library, the first in May 2007 and the second in January 2008.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 4, 2007|author=Nagourney, Adam|author2=Santora, Marc |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/us/politics/04repubs.html|title= '08 Republicans Differ on Defining Party's Future|work= The New York Times|access-date=May 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/30/romney-mccain-out-of-step-with-conservative-mainstream/|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=January 30, 2008|access-date=February 1, 2008|title=Romney Blasts McCain over Iraq War Charge|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080201084303/http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/30/romney-mccain-out-of-step-with-conservative-mainstream/ |archive-date = February 1, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/one-word-reagan/ | title=One Word: Reagan | author=Phillips, Kate | work=The New York Times | date=January 31, 2008 | access-date=February 9, 2008}}</ref> On March 25, she formally endorsed Senator [[John McCain]], then the presumptive Republican party nominee for president, but McCain would go on to lose the election to Barack Obama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/25/nancy-reagan-to-endorse-mccain/|title=Nancy Reagan gives McCain seal of approval|agency=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=March 25, 2008|access-date=March 25, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080330060245/http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/25/nancy-reagan-to-endorse-mccain/ |archive-date = March 30, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Reagan attended the funeral of [[Lady Bird Johnson]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], Texas, on July 14, 2007,<ref name="Reagan Library Debate">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18466314|title=Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq|access-date= May 3, 2007|first= Alex |last=Johnson|publisher= NBC News | date = May 4, 2007}}</ref> and three days later accepted the highest Polish distinction, the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]], on behalf of Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Library. The Reagan Library opened the temporary exhibit "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style", which displayed over eighty designer dresses belonging to her.<ref>{{cite news |first= Monica|last= Corcoran|title= The Nancy Years|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/11/image/ig-reaganstyle11|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 8, 2007|access-date=January 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Anna |last=Bakalis |title=Style exhibit chronicles Nancy Reagan's life |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/09/nancy-reagan-a-first-ladys-style-at-reagan-her/ |work=The Ventura County Star |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=January 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305190145/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/09/nancy-reagan-a-first-ladys-style-at-reagan-her/ |archive-date=March 5, 2009 }}</ref> [[File:2007 07 15 do 18 kaczynski USA 28.jpg|thumb|left|Reagan accepts the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] from Polish President [[Lech Kaczyński]] on behalf of Ronald Reagan, July 15, 2007]] Reagan's health and well-being became a prominent concern in 2008. In February, she suffered a fall at her Bel Air home and was taken to [[Saint John's Health Center]] in [[Santa Monica, California]]. Doctors reported that she did not break her hip as feared, and she was released from the hospital two days later.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23241883|title=Nancy Reagan Released From Hospital|date=February 19, 2008|access-date=February 19, 2008|publisher=NBC News}}</ref> News commentators noted that Reagan's step had slowed significantly, as the following month she walked in very slow strides with John McCain.<ref name="msnbc fall">{{cite video |people= Williams, Brian (interviewee)|date=October 15, 2008|title=Nancy Reagan suffers broken pelvis|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540|medium=Television production|publisher=NBC News|access-date=December 5, 2008}}</ref> In October 2008, Reagan was admitted to [[Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center]] after falling at home. Doctors determined that the 87-year-old had fractured her [[human pelvis|pelvis]] and [[sacrum]], and could recuperate at home with a regimen of [[physical therapy]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE49G7S420081017 | work=Reuters | title=Former first lady Nancy Reagan out of hospital | first=Dan | last=Whitcomb | date=October 17, 2008 | access-date=May 14, 2009}}</ref> As a result of her mishap, medical articles were published containing information on how to prevent falls.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126942.php|title=Physical Therapy Will Play Key Role In Nancy Reagan's Recovery From Recent Fall|access-date=December 6, 2008|newspaper=News Today|date=October 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205201315/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126942.php|archive-date=December 5, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2009, Reagan was said to be "improving every day and starting to get out more and more".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.etonline.com/news/69715_Nancy_Reagan_Health_Update_She_s_Improving_Every_Day/index.html |title=Nancy Reagan Health Update: 'Shes Improving Every Day' |access-date=January 20, 2009 |date=January 15, 2009 |publisher=Entertainment Tonight |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604043010/http://www.etonline.com/news/69715_Nancy_Reagan_Health_Update_She_s_Improving_Every_Day/index.html |archive-date=June 4, 2013 }}</ref> [[File:Nancy Reagan with Michelle Obama cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Reagan with First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] at a White House luncheon, June 3, 2009]] In March 2009, she praised President [[Barack Obama]] for reversing the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19787.html | title=Nancy Reagan praises Obama | first=Craig | last=Gordon | publisher=The Politico | date=March 9, 2009 | access-date=May 14, 2009}}</ref> She traveled to Washington, D.C. in June 2009 to unveil a statue of her late husband in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Capitol rotunda]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-reagan-statue4-2009jun04,0,2615911.story|title=Reagan returns to Washington, D.C., in bronze|access-date=June 3, 2009|date=June 4, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Simon, Richard}}</ref> She was also on hand as President Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, and lunched privately with Michelle Obama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/nancy-reagan-and-obama-kiss-and-make-up/?hp|title=Nancy Reagan and Obama Kiss and Make Up|access-date=June 3, 2009|date=June 2, 2009|author=Cooper, Helene|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Reagan revealed in an interview with ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' that Michelle Obama had telephoned her for advice on living and entertaining in the White House.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/nancy-reagan-speaks-out-about-obamas-the-bushes-and-her-husband.html |title=Nancy Reagan Speaks Out About Obamas, the Bushes, and Her Husband |access-date=June 3, 2009 |date=June 1, 2009 |magazine=Vanity Fair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603055749/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/nancy-reagan-speaks-out-about-obamas-the-bushes-and-her-husband.html |archive-date=June 3, 2009 }}</ref> Following the death of Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] in August 2009, she said she was "terribly saddened ... Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family ... I will miss him."<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://thepage.time.com/nancy-reagan-statement-on-ted-kennedys-death/|title=Nancy Reagan Statement on Ted Kennedy's Death|date=August 26, 2009|access-date=March 23, 2010|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}{{Dead link|date=September 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> She attended the funeral of [[Betty Ford]] in [[Rancho Mirage, California]], on July 12, 2011.<ref>{{cite news| date = July 14, 2011 | title= After Funeral Service, Betty Ford Buried Next to Husband| publisher= [[NBC News]] | url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43755302| access-date =December 20, 2013}}</ref> Reagan hosted a [[2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums|2012 Republican presidential debate]] at the Reagan Presidential Library on September 7, 2011.<ref name=endorse>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan endorses Romney's bid for president|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-31/nancy-reagan-mitt-romney/55319818/1|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116171152/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-31/nancy-reagan-mitt-romney/55319818/1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan presidential library|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-debate-at-the-ronald-reagan-presidential-library/2011/09/07/gIQAmBJQAK_gallery.html#photo=1|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 7, 2011|access-date=December 20, 2013}}</ref> She suffered a fall in March 2012.<ref name=fall /> Two months later, she endured several broken ribs, which prevented her from attending a speech given by [[Paul Ryan]] in the Reagan Presidential Library in May 2012.<ref name=fall>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan still recovering from fall|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/politics/nancy-reagan-fall/|publisher=CNN|date=May 23, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2013}}</ref> She endorsed Republican presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]] on May 31, 2012, explaining that her husband would have liked Romney's business background and what she called "strong principles".<ref name=endorse /> Following [[Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher|the death]] of former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] in April 2013, she stated, "The world has lost a true champion of freedom and democracy ... Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend, and I will miss her."<ref>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan: 'Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates'|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/nancy-reagan-ronnie-and-margaret-were-political-soul-mates/|publisher=CNN|date=April 8, 2013|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=May 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503014936/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/nancy-reagan-ronnie-and-margaret-were-political-soul-mates/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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