YAF Hosts Governor Kristi Noem at the Reagan Ranch

Since stepping forward in 1998 to save the Reagan Ranch, President Ronald Reagan’s Western White House, Young America’s Foundation has advanced the Conservative Movement by educating young people and inspiring the public leaders of the day through this premier Presidential property.

Notable visitors to Rancho del Cielo, the humble 688acre private residence of President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, have included Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence; Speaker Newt Gingrich and Ambassador Callista Gingrich; Secretary Betsy DeVos; Attorney General John Ashcroft and his wife, Janet; Governor Sarah Palin; Governor Rick Perry and his wife, Anita; philanthropists Richard and Helen DeVos; Senator Ted Cruz; and many others.

Today, YAF continues to build on this rich history of inspiring conservative leaders by providing them with the opportunity to walk in Ronald Reagan’s footsteps. YAF recently welcomed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to the Reagan Ranch and Reagan Ranch Center, YAF’s “Schoolhouse for Reaganism” in downtown Santa Barbara, for a tour and nationally-televised town hall produced by Newsmax.

Prior to filming, YAF President Governor Scott Walker and Vice President and Director of the Reagan Ranch Andrew Coffin hosted Governor Noem for a private visit at Rancho del Cielo. A rancher like Ronald Reagan, Governor Noem instinctively understood why the Ranch was a special place for the President. She noted the humility evident in the property, observing, “Working with your hands does something for your soul.”

Following her tour of Rancho del Cielo, Governor Noem participated in an interview at the Ranch—in front of President and Mrs. Reagan’s beloved Lake Lucky—with Newsmax host Rob Schmitt. The program aired on Schmitt’s primetime show and featured shots of Governor Noem visiting the Ranch adobe home; Tax Cut table, where President Reagan signed the 1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act; entryway to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, so named by the U.S. Secret Service; and the property’s tack barn.

YAF also welcomed nearly 200 guests to the Reagan Ranch Center for the Newsmax town hall special, hosted by Schmitt. Part of YAF’s Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable series, the program reached millions of American households and allowed the Foundation’s loyal supporters and friends to hear from one of today’s top conservative leaders.

Governor Noem engages with YAF supporters and friends during a Newsmax town hall held at the Reagan Ranch Center.

During her visit to Rancho del Cielo, Governor Noem enjoys touring the tack barn, maintained as it was when President and Mrs. Reagan owned the 688acre property.

During the town hall, which included questions from the live audience, Governor Noem addressed a range of public policy issues, including the dangers of COVID-19 government mandates, the Biden administration’s failed border security policies, and the path forward for greater economic prosperity, among others. She also shared her admiration for Reagan’s optimistic outlook with the YAF audience:

There’s a lot of Ronald Reagan that I can relate to...I just appreciate the fact that he cast a vision for this country because I do believe that, without a vision, people perish— that we need to have leaders [who] remember where we’re going, not just what’s happening in this day and age.

Reflecting on her memorable Reagan Ranch experience, Governor Noem remarked,

I have admired the President and wanted to see the Ranch in person since I was a little girl—[it] truly was a dream come true for me personally…such an honor for a ranch kid from South Dakota.

Additionally, in a FoxNews.com column titled, “We Can’t Rely on a Debt-Ridden Federal Government to Take Care of Us,” she wrote,

Newsmax host Rob Schmitt interviews Governor Noem at the Reagan Ranch.

(From left) Andrew Coffin, YAF vice president and director of the Reagan Ranch; Newsmax host Rob Schmitt; Governor Kristi Noem; and Governor Scott Walker, YAF president, tour the adobe home at the Reagan Ranch. In a handwritten note following her visit, Governor Noem calls it “a dream come true” to experience Rancho del Cielo in person.

Ronald Reagan led our country through challenging times on the world stage, yet embraced the humble simplicity of the daily life of an average citizen in America. Recently, I was honored to spend some time at the Reagan Ranch in California. It is maintained by the Young America’s Foundation and preserved for the next generation in order that we may look to the past to create an even better future.

I was struck by the life that Ronald Reagan and his family lived at the ranch. It was not remarkable, fancy or reflective of the position of power he held as leader of the free world. It was average, simple and a step back from the grandeur of Washington, D.C. To him, it was heaven.

Young America’s Foundation is honored to preserve the Reagan Ranch as a unique venue to pass on President Reagan’s freedom philosophy to future generations and inspire our current leaders to boldly advance conservative principles.