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OnPolitics: Nixon resigned 50 years ago. The political world has never been the same.

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4 months ago

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OnPolitics: Nixon resigned 50 years ago. The political world has never been the same.

Hey OnPolitics readers! Exactly 50 years ago, a beleaguered President Richard M. Nixon entered the Oval Office, stared into a television camera and performed an act that still echoes in today’s very different political world.

Nixon’s resignation remains a singular event in American history, USA TODAY’s David Jackson reported. It, and the Watergate scandal that devoured his presidency, bequeathed a political environment that is more partisan, cynical and distrustful of government.

🥊A more partisan world: Partisan polarization is one reason that another Nixon-like presidential resignation is hard to foresee. Back in 1974, more than a few Republicans supported Nixon’s removal from office. In recent decades, the political parties have been more uniform in rallying around presidents in trouble, whether it was Bill Clinton over his relationship with a White House intern or former President Donald Trump and allegations surrounding the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

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❌A system under strain: The Watergate scandal inspired a reassertion of congressional authority and passage of new ethics laws, strengthened the role of the courts in restraining presidential power, and gave new prominence to the media as a public watchdog. Over the past half-century, however, those institutions have taken many hits to their reputations, thanks in part to relentless attacks from Trump and his MAGA supporters. But trust in America’s institutions has plummeted on both sides of the aisle since Nixon was in office.

Read more: Richard Nixon resigned 50 years ago. The political world has never been the same.

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Hi everyone! This is Sudiksha Kochi, Congress, Campaigns and Democracy reporter with USA TODAY. It’s been a great run with OnPolitics, but I am officially signing off. I am passing the torch to Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. 

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