Actually, Reagan was a horrible governor. He had no previous government office experience at the time he first ran, much like Trump, and he made some major blunders as a result. There are still large groups in California who hate him, like teachers and state employees.
His people committed crimes by negotiating with the Iranians to not release their hostages until Reagan won and took office. This was essentially treason. As President, he mostly went on TV and gave nice speeches that his followers enjoyed, and left everything else to Cheney. He made decisions with the help of psychics, and then by his second term he was pretty far into senility. After he got shot, Nancy filled his role (fairly competently) as again Cheney actually ran the Executive Branch. He may have been what the majority of voters thought they wanted, but he was way less intelligent or competent than Carter, the Naval nuclear engineer.
His administration was marked by multiple scandals, resulting in the investigation, indictment, or conviction of over 138 administration officials, the largest number for any U.S. president.
All of that might be true. But the majority of Americans liked Reagan and still do. Reagan was one of the most popular president seen by America as a whole, perhaps not by Democrats, but by all Americans.
In the latest C-SPAN historian rankings, 2017, Historians ranked Reagan 9th.
https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overallThen on the question of the best and worst presidents since WWII, here's how the average American see them.
Best and Worst presidents since WWII
2014 Quinnipiac poll
A Quinnipiac University poll taken June 24–30, 2014, asked 1,446 registered voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst Presidents since World War II.
Best President since World War II:
Ronald Reagan (35%)
Bill Clinton (18%)
John F. Kennedy (15%)
Barack Obama (8%)
Dwight Eisenhower (5%)
Harry S. Truman (4%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (3%)
Jimmy Carter (2%)
Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
Gerald Ford (tie) (1%)
George W. Bush (tie) (1%)
Worst President since World War II:
Barack Obama (33%)
George W. Bush (28%)
Richard Nixon (13%)
Jimmy Carter (8%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
Ronald Reagan (tie) (3%)
Bill Clinton (tie) (3%)
Gerald Ford (tie) (2%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
Dwight Eisenhower (1%)
Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)
2017 Quinnipiac poll
Four years later, a Quinnipiac University poll taken January 20–25, 2017, asked 1,190 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst Presidents since World War II.
Best President since World War II:
Ronald Reagan (30%)
Barack Obama (29%)
John F. Kennedy (12%)
Bill Clinton (9%)
Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (3%)
George W. Bush (tie) (3%)
Harry Truman (tie) (2%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
Richard Nixon (tie) (<1%)
Gerald R. Ford (tie) (<1%)
Worst President since World War II:
Richard Nixon (24%)
Barack Obama (23%)
George W. Bush (22%)
Jimmy Carter (10%)
Ronald Reagan (5%)
Bill Clinton (4%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (3%)
George H. W. Bush (2%)
Gerald R. Ford (1%)
Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)
2017 Morning Consult poll
Including for the first time President Donald Trump, a Morning Consult poll taken February 9–10, 2017, asked 1,791 registered voters in the United States, who they thought were the best and worst Presidents since World War II.
Best President since World War II:
Ronald Reagan (26%)
Barack Obama (20%)
John F. Kennedy (17%)
Bill Clinton (9%)
Donald Trump (6%)
George W. Bush (tie) (2%)
Harry Truman (tie) (2%)
Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (1%)
Gerald R. Ford (<1%)
Worst President since World War II:
Donald Trump (26%)
Barack Obama (25%)
Richard Nixon (13%)
George W. Bush (7%)
Bill Clinton (6%)
Jimmy Carter (5%)
George H. W. Bush (3%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
Ronald Reagan (tie) (1%)
Gerald R. Ford (tie) (1%)
Harry S. Truman (tie) (1%)
John F. Kennedy (<1%)
2018 Quinnipiac poll
A Quinnipiac University poll taken March 3–5, 2018, asked 1,122 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst Presidents since World War II.
Best President since World War II:
Ronald Reagan (28%)
Barack Obama (24%)
John F. Kennedy (tie) (10%)
Bill Clinton (tie) (10%)
Donald Trump (7%)
Dwight Eisenhower (4%)
Harry Truman (tie) (3%)
Jimmy Carter (tie) (3%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (1%)
Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
George W. Bush (tie) (1%)
Gerald R. Ford (<1%)
Worst President since World War II:
Donald Trump (41%)
Barack Obama (21%)
Richard Nixon (10%)
Jimmy Carter (8%)
George W. Bush (6%)
Bill Clinton (4%)
Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
Ronald Reagan (tie) (2%)
Gerald R. Ford (1%)
Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)
George H. W. Bush (tie) (<1%)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_presidents_of_the_United_StatesRonald Reagan is still looked back on very fondly. But you can also see the very partisan divide by looking at the names of the best and the worst.
