Would Reagan be welcome in today's GOP? Actor Dennis Quaid, locals from his hometown offer mixed views

DIXON, Ill. – Locals who live in the late president's hometown were mixed on whether Ronald Reagan would still be welcome in today's Republican Party at the premiere of the movie "Reagan" in Dixon, Ill.

Most political observers would argue today's MAGA movement looks and sounds different from the party that once consisted of traditional Reagan conservatives. But actor Dennis Quaid, who stars as Reagan in the new biopic, didn't hesitate when asked if he'd be embraced as the head of the party in 2024.

"Reagan would be the head of the Republican Party these days, there's no doubt about that," Quaid told Fox News Digital on the front porch of President Reagan's boyhood home. "This country yearns for it, in a sense. He was a man of his times, as well. And I think those principles are still there in the Republican Party of today."

DENNIS QUAID THRILLS LOCALS IN DIXON, ILL., FOR ‘REAGAN’ PREMIERE, SAYS HOLLYWOOD ‘FORGOT’ ABOUT SMALL TOWNS

Locals in Dixon offered more mixed reactions about Reagan's presence in today's GOP as they waited in line for the premiere of "Reagan" at The Dixon: Historic Theatre on August 22, hosted by Young America's Foundation, with some saying both his policies and his temperament would be at odds with the modern movement.

"I think they've gone way off on the far-right fringe," Kevin Strock from Sterling, Ill., said of the party's changing policies. "Reagan was a moderate. I don't think he'd be welcomed."

Some analysts say former President Trump and Reagan were at least alike in their populist theories. But several others have pointed out stark dissimilarities.

There are some, like author Edwin G. Oswald, who have claimed "Reagan would not be welcomed in today's GOP," arguing his policies on immigration