It’s hard to decipher if this embarrassing misrepresentation of Ronald Reagan’s famous government ‘here to help’ quote is purposeful or accidental.

Either way, it’s a horrible look for Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

In a recently-discovered clip, Cardona butchers Reagan’s famous quote and completely changes its meaning.

Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

From the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute:

During this News Conference, President Ronald Reagan refers to how the government tends to be inefficient, to such a degree that instead of helping, it often causes harm instead. This view expresses the need for a more diminutive form of government where an individual or organization can complete an activity more effectively than the whole government.

A few key points are:

  • Government creates unpredictability due to constantly changing policies.
  • The government’s goals sometimes don’t align with the nation’s goals.

With this ideology, he wanted to create and organize a government of the right size for its people, where both could work in harmony to overcome the crisis.

According to the New York Post, Cardona told his audience:  “As, I think it was President Reagan, said — ‘We’re from the government, we’re here to help.’”

Cardona made the comment on November 8th while meeting with Western state governors in Wyoming.

WATCH:

“Stunning. The ignorance of the Biden admin is remarkable. He blithely omits ‘The nine most terrifying words in the English language are….’ And then, serene in his world view, he utters those nine words without irony,” Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) commented.

Read additional reactions:

The New York Post reports:

Cardona briefly paused after the remark and looked around as if he expected laughter, but there was no trace of sarcasm in his voice.

In contrast to Cardona’s endorsement of Washington intervention, Reagan’s original statement from Aug. 12, 1986, was a warning against it.

It goes without saying but the actual quote from Reagan was “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.”

“I think you all know that I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help,’” the 40th president told reporters while discoursing on US agriculture policy. “A great many of the current problems on the farm were caused by government-imposed embargoes and inflation, not to mention government’s long history of conflicting and haphazard policies.”

The Education Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether Cardona was joking.

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