JD Vance makes waves with remarks on Nixon and Watergate scandal

Vice President JD Vance.

Vice President JD Vance is publicly urging Americans to reconsider Richard Nixon as an American political figure, saying on Thursday that Nixon, who resigned amid impeachment and the Watergate scandal, was a "political genius," and that, in today's political and media environments, the scandal wouldn't have brought down his presidency. 

Vance's remarks came during a discussion at the Nixon Presidential Library in California, where he was making a visit to promote his book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith. Nixon resigned in August of 1974, during his second term, facing impeachment and removal from office amid the fallout from Watergate. His presidency is being viewed in a new light amid a social media trend known as the Nixon Renaissance, which Vance referenced during his remarks. 

"I'm actually fascinated by Nixon as a historical character," Vance said. "I think that his historical legacy is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, but I think deservedly so. As I joked backstage ... if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy." Vance also drew parallels between how the Deep State took down Nixon and how a similar strain of opponents in federal and local governments conspired to do the same Trump's first administration as well as to prevent his return to office, prompting a round of applause from the audience. 

Vance also drew a comparison between Nixon's political rise and that of his own. 

Then he went on to compare Nixon's political coalition with that of Trump's. "Nixon's coalition in '72 is actually durable and much more closely resembles the Trump coalition of 2024 than the Reagan coalition of '84." The vice president said that understanding Nixon's appeal to Americans at the time holds crucial political lessons for the Republican party today. "He was actually a political genius."

Watch a portion of Vance's remarks on Nixon below and see the full discussion here.