The friction began at this first meeting. O'Neill was not initially impressed with Reagan and said to him, You've been a governor of a state, but a governor plays in the minor leagues. You're in the big leagues now. {O'Neill had said the same thing to Jimmy Carter four years before.} Reagan replied, Oh, you know, no problem there. Despite the genial response, O'Neill's comment represented the very kind of Washington haughtiness that set Reagan's teeth on edge. Aides to the president-elect were incensed.
The initial meeting between O'Neill and Reagan marked the beginning of their friction. O'Neill expressed his skepticism about Reagan's qualifications by comparing the roles of governors and presidents, suggesting that Reagan was stepping into a more significant arena. This was a remark O'Neill had previously made to Jimmy Carter, indicating his tendency to belittle governors. Reagan responded with apparent ease, but O'Neill's comment reflected a condescending attitude that irritated Reagan and his aides.
This tension highlighted a clash of perspectives, with O'Neill embodying a typical Washington elitism that Reagan found off-putting. The president-elect's team reacted strongly to O'Neill's dismissive tone, indicating that they were sensitive to any suggestion that Reagan was less capable than a seasoned politician like O'Neill. This moment foreshadowed the challenges they would face in their differing political styles and attitudes.
