but as the conversation progressed, "time" reported it became clear to several in the room that obama was most interested in the accomplishments of ronald reagan. reagan on first glance was an unlikely role model. an arch-conservative, actor turned politician, better known for his anecdotes in humor than analysis and intellect, but obama saw that reagan had been a transformational president. >> go forward, america, reach for the stars. >> someone who, as he said while campaigning in 2008, had changed the trajectory of america in a way that richard nixon did not and in a way that bill clinton did not. clearly, that was obama's aspiration as well, to change the trajectory of america. did he? if i'd been taking stock in mid 2016, the case would have been overwhelming. >> the bill is passed.