WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance made a bold claim Thursday, saying the Watergate scandal that ultimately forced President Richard Nixon from office would barely make a dent in today’s relentless news cycle. Vance also drew direct comparisons between Nixon and President Donald Trump, suggesting both men were targeted by what he called “deep state” forces.
Vance shared his long-standing admiration for Nixon during a visit to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. The vice president, widely considered a likely presidential candidate in 2028, was at the library to promote his new book, “Communion.”
After discussing the book and his personal faith journey, Vance turned his attention to Nixon, saying the legacy of the 37th president is “enjoying a bit of a renaissance.”
“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 said.
He continued by connecting Nixon’s downfall to what he sees as similar efforts against Trump: “If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration.”
Vance also pointed out what he sees as parallels between himself and Nixon, saying: “Young senator, vice president, writes some bestselling books, is hated by the media. It kind of sounds like JD Vance. I’ve always liked Richard Nixon.”
Nixon resigned from the presidency during his second term in 1974, following the Watergate scandal.
