# Did Ronald Reagan punch a reporter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861 "2010-09-07T00:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/1 "2010-09-07T00:55:03Z")
Did he? Somebody told me so recently, saying that it was all over the news in Europe but never even mentioned in the US. I gathered from context that this was during his presidency or at least close to it, at some press conference. I found through web searching that he told a heckler “Aw, shut up!” and was applauded for doing so, a day before being elected, but that’s the closest thing I found. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/2 "2010-09-07T01:38:55Z")
Truman threatened to punch a music critic, and Clinton said that he’d like to punch William Safire for insulting his wife, but I don’t believe that Reagan ever punched anyone or threatened to. I’m not saying it couldn’t have happened, but if it did, do you really think the press would have covered it up? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/3 "2010-09-07T01:40:15Z")
I’ve read quite a bit about Reagan, and am no fan of his, but I’ve never read or heard that he punched a reporter. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/4 "2010-09-07T01:44:33Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Did he? Somebody told me so recently, saying that it was all over the news in Europe but never even mentioned in the US. I gathered from context that this was during his presidency or at least close to it, at some press conference. I found through web searching that he told a heckler “Aw, shut up!” and was applauded for doing so, a day before being elected, but that’s the closest thing I found. > > Thanks! Tell that someone to cite the European news stories. It should be easy, since it was “all over the news in Europe”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/5 "2010-09-07T02:52:54Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Amazing] Truman threatened to punch a music critic, and Clinton said that he’d like to punch William Safire for insulting his wife, … [/QUOTE] However, Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chrétien did, in fact, throttle a heckler in public, in full view of the news cameras, in the famed [Shawinigan Handshake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawinigan_Handshake). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/6 "2010-09-07T03:27:51Z")
_“I have no recollection of that incident.”_ – RR Pre- or post-Alzheimer’s? We may never know. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/7 "2010-09-07T05:07:57Z")
I’ve never heard this. But he did rape a woman when he was in movies according to biographer Kitty Kelly. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/8 "2010-09-07T06:31:16Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I’ve never heard this. But he did rape a woman when he was in movies according to biographer Kitty Kelly. Ahhh. KK. I can read some gossip press and take it seriously, but KK seems to be a filterless vacuum. And speaking (with RR) of 'round the bend, she is no sharper-than-an-iron-trap study in non-flakiness. I don’t think a strapping B actor would need to do much raping in the '40s-'50s to have a full dance card, and that doesn’t strike me as Ronnie’s MO. And as far as the reporter – (a) I’ve never heard that and (b) Reagan was notorious for getting a free pass (on his alleged substantive lightness) by his ability to charm the pants off the media/camera. I’m not recalling a single bellicose encounter (elusive yes, evasive, perhaps) with the press corps, many/most of whom loved him in spite of their differing politics. ---
**Author:** ![PokerAKQJT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b5ac83/32.png) [@PokerAKQJT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PokerAKQJT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/9 "2010-09-07T06:54:18Z")
Perhaps it was Bonzo who did the punching? Silly monkey! ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/10 "2010-09-07T06:55:59Z")
I loathe Reagan with the heat of a nova, but I must admit that I have never heard of this event, and HIGHLY doubt the veracity of your “somebody.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/11 "2010-09-07T07:13:44Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Did he? Somebody told me so recently, saying that it was all over the news in Europe but never even mentioned in the US. Perhaps this somebody is thinking of [John ‘Two Jabs’ Prescott](http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/16/newsid_4098000/4098929.stm)? ---
**Author:** ![qpw3141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6bbea6/32.png) [@qpw3141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qpw3141)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/12 "2010-09-07T08:12:15Z")
The only significant first page Google hit is this one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/13 "2010-09-07T17:32:29Z")
Reagan Smash! Never heard of this but Buzz Aldrin has punched a anti moon landing guy ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ronald-reagan-punch-a-reporter/552861/14 "2010-09-07T20:13:33Z")
I don’t believe Reagan would punch anyone but the man did show a lot of courage and class when he was shot.