Former Republican presidential adviser David Gergen dies at 83

Former White House presidential adviser David Gergen, who helped three Republican presidents and former Democratic President Bill Clinton, died on Friday at the age of 83.

The Washington, D.C. insider, who is most known for his role in getting former President Ronald Reagan elected over a second Carter administration, died at a retirement community in Lexington, Massachusetts. 

Gergen died from Lewy body dementia, his son, Christopher, told the New York Times. 

The former adviser has been lauded as a titan in politics and helped Reagan defeat former President Jimmy Carter by crafting the question, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

“Rhetorical questions have great power,” Gergen later said of the question. “It’s one of those things that you sometimes strike gold. When you’re out there panhandling in the river, occasionally you get a gold nugget.”

Gergen also helped advise Clinton, and former Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He also dabbled in journalism as the managing editor of Public Opinion, and editor of U.S. News & World Report. He additionally spoke in front of the camera as a political commentator for programs on CNN and PBS.

The former adviser is survived by his wife, two children, two brothers and five grandchildren.

 Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.