Nancy Reagan’s spokeswoman: Melania Trump has ‘enormous potential’ for good

The PR maven who helped roll out Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug crusade says Melania Trump has “enormous potential” to do good as first lady.

“Nancy Reagan saved people’s lives. I mean, how many people can say in their lifetime they saved people’s lives?” Sheila Tate tells ITK, when asked about the possibility of Trump blossoming as a public speaker in the same way she says Reagan once did.

Tate served as press secretary for the former first lady from 1981 to 1985.

{mosads}“It’s both a horrible and a wonderful opportunity,” Tate says of the role of a president’s spouse. “You’re subject to scrutiny by everyone. And everyone has an opinion about everything about you. But on the other hand, if you put that aside, you have this huge opportunity to make a difference.”

Tate says she “never intended to write” about her experiences. But after attending a 2016 memorial service for Reagan, who died that year at age 94, Tate was convinced she had to put pen to paper.

“At least 10 people came up to me and said almost the exact same words: ‘I wish more people knew her the way we knew her.’ ”

“I can’t tell you that I didn’t take it a little bit personally since I was her press secretary. It was like a criticism of me,” Tate says with a laugh.

“Lady in Red: An Intimate Portrait of Nancy Reagan,” which hits shelves this week, details private moments with the public figure whom Tate knew as both a staffer and friend. Tate says the two remained in contact until Reagan’s death.

While the “media always positioned” Reagan as being “hard right” and influencing her husband to move that way politically, Tate says, “Her politics were whatever was good for Ronald Reagan.”

“She wasn’t the power behind the throne in that regard.”

But Reagan was in charge when it came to her now-famous “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign.

“Nancy chose to do it in opposition to our staff recommendations,” recalls Tate. “We really didn’t think drug abuse was the issue. It felt depressing. … We knew it was a source of mockery. So we really dragged our heels on that,” says the co-founder of the PR firm Powell Tate.

“[Reagan] finally said, and these are her exact words: ‘If I’m going to be involved in something for four or eight years, it’s got to be something I really care about. And this is something I’ve cared about for a long time.’ So that’s when we gave up.”

Trump, who was mocked by some of her husband’s critics after saying she wanted to focus on fighting childhood cyberbullying as first lady, could have success similar to Reagan’s by tackling another timely issue, according to Tate.

“I think the opioid [abuse crisis] is made for someone like her, to find a way to make an impact like that,” says Tate.

Trump kicked off a summit about the opioid epidemic at the White House last month, saying, “We all know there is still much work to be done, which is why we are all here today.”

Tate writes in “Lady in Red” that she watched Reagan “transform from a hesitant, ill-at-ease speaker to an effective, confident communicator.” 

The author and press secretary for George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign says Reagan’s advice to Trump would be simple: “Pick something you really care about.”