'Reagan' Actor Dennis Quaid Rallies for Trump in Coachella: 'It's Time to Pick a Side'

Actor Dennis Quaid, known for his role as President Ronald Reagan in an upcoming 2024 movie, rallied for former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Coachella, California. 

Speaking to a crowd in a state known for its Democratic leanings, Quaid urged the audience to choose a side as the next presidential election approaches.

"God bless you. God bless America. I'm here today to tell you that it's time to pick a side," Quaid said from the stage. 

"Are we going to be a nation that stands for the Constitution? Or for TikTok? Are we going to be a nation of law and order? Or wide open borders?" 

[Dennis Quaid left after speaking at a campaign rally for Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at Calhoun Ranch in Coachella, California. AP Photo]

He pressed the crowd to think about the country's future and urged them to make a choice.

Quaid, speaking in Coachella, which is famous for its annual music festival, explained that he had played his favorite president, Ronald Reagan, in a biopic set to release in 2024. He said he saw strong similarities between the political climate when Reagan first ran for president and today.

"It's amazing how the issues of the 1980 election are very similar to what they are today," Quaid said. 

He recalled the high inflation of that time and the Iran hostage crisis. "We were a nation in decline. That's what they told us," he said. "Ronald Reagan came along and said, no, we're not a nation in decline. We're going somewhere better. And we followed him."

Quaid compared Reagan to Trump, calling Trump his favorite president of the 21st century. He recalled a moment from his younger years when he voted for Reagan and returned home to his Los Angeles roommate, who teased him, saying, "You are kicked out of the hippies."

He then posed a question to the crowd that he said Reagan asked Americans back in the 1980 election: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Quaid used this question to highlight what he sees as key differences between Trump's time in office and the current political environment.

"Four years ago, under President Trump, we had energy," Quaid said. "We were an energy independent nation. We had cheap gas. We were exporting oil to our allies." He contrasted this with the current situation, mentioning how Russia’s President Putin profits from oil sales, while the U.S. has restricted its own oil production and is now asking countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for more oil.

[Dennis Quaid spoke at a campaign rally for former President Trump on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at Calhoun Ranch in Coachella, California. AP Photo]

Quaid also credited Trump for lowering inflation and fostering peace in the Middle East. He highlighted Trump’s role in the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements that sought to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab nations. Quaid also mentioned Trump’s plan for a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, emphasizing that it was intended to be done with "honor and order."

In his speech, Quaid pointed to the situation with Iran during Trump's presidency. "Iran was bankrupt," he said. He argued that Iran was not able to supply weapons to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah during Trump’s time, which Quaid contrasted with the current situation.

Quaid then shifted to discussing the border, praising Trump’s work toward securing it. "Four years ago, we had a secure border. We were on our way to building a wall," he said. He added, "That's what a nation is. It has a wall," before criticizing the current stance on voter identification laws.

The actor wrapped up his speech with a personal story about his housekeeper, Josie, who he said had been living in the U.S. illegally for over a decade, using her sister’s identification. Quaid explained that after Trump’s election in 2016, Josie was worried about being deported.

"I told her, I said, 'Josie, no, you're not. That's not what he's talking about. He wants people to come here the right way.' And I became her sponsor," Quaid said. He shared that Josie now has her green card and is working toward her U.S. citizenship. Quaid mentioned that she hopes to gain citizenship in time to vote for Trump in the upcoming election.

Quaid closed by urging the audience to choose where they stand. "So like I said, people, it's time to pick a side. Who are you going to pick?" he said, before leaving the stage with "God bless you."