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Articles on Richard Nixon

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Democratic candidate Tim Walz, during the vice presidential debate in which he said he ‘misspoke’ about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protests. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Misspoke: The long and winding road to becoming a political weasel word

Politicians have long used the phrase ‘I misspoke’ when backpedaling for verbal inaccuracies or blunders. Now it’s used as a euphemistic recasting of lying as an inadvertent mistake.
President Gerald Ford announcing his decision to grant a pardon to former President Richard Nixon on Sept. 8, 1974. Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States would have given Nixon immunity for Watergate crimes — but 50 years ago he needed a presidential pardon to avoid prison

President Gerald Ford’s pardon of former President Richard Nixon 50 years ago is seen as a damaging precedent establishing presidential impunity. Now, the Supreme Court has affirmed that impunity.
Kamala Harris greets staff at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on July 22, 2024. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Kamala Harris is no Hubert Humphrey − how the presumed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee isn’t like the 1968 party candidate

With the huge task of a late presidential run against Donald Trump, Kamala Harris faces challenges distinct from those faced by Vice President Hubert Humphrey after LBJ decided not to seek reelection.
Sen. John Kennedy, left, and Vice President Richard Nixon prepare for the first televised presidential debate on Sept. 26, 1960. AP

What people say today about the first televised presidential debate, between Nixon and JFK, doesn’t match first reactions in 1960

While people now reflect on how or whether Nixon’s sweaty, haggard appearance during the debate cost him the election, the view in 1960 was that the debate was a draw.
Donald Trump speaks to the media after his conviction on 34 felony charges on May 30, 2024. Steven Hirsch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Trump’s prosecution is unprecedented in US – but other countries have prosecuted former leaders

Both sweeping immunity and overzealous prosecutions of former leaders can undermine democracy. But such prosecutions pose different risks for older democracies like the US than in younger ones.

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