The "Watergate Scandal," which caused former U.S. President Nixon to resign and became a sensation across the United States, now seems to have lost its impact even within half a day, according to Vice President Wayne.
On June 26 local time, Vance spoke at the Richard Nixon Library and Museum in California. He said that if the Watergate scandal had happened today, it would probably only have been news for 12 hours. He believed that a scandal of this magnitude would lead to the president being removed from office “simply unbelievable”. These remarks quickly attracted attention from American public opinion. Many media outlets and commentators believed that Vance's statement reflected the significant changes in American political culture during Trump's era.
On that day, Wanser expressed his admiration for former U.S. President Nixon in his speech. He stated that he believed the historical evaluation of Nixon was undergoing a certain degree of ‘revival’, and that ‘this is what he deserves’.
When talking about the famous "Watergate Scandal" in American history, Vance said, "I just joked behind the scenes that if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would probably only be a news story that lasts for 12 hours. It’s incredible that something like this could bring down a president’s tenure."
On that day, Vance also compared himself to Nixon. He laughed and said, "Young senator, becoming vice president, writing bestsellers, being hated by the media—it sounds a lot like JD Vance."
Video Screenshot of Vance's Speech
His remarks have also been criticized by Democrats. David Axelrod, a Democratic commentator who once served as a senior advisor to Obama, said on social media platform X that Vance’s statements “clearly show the decline in the moral and ethical standards of America during Trump’s presidency”. He believes that the Watergate scandal is significant because at that time, American society still believed that presidents must be bound by laws and institutions.
The Watergate Scandal occurred in 1972. That year, individuals associated with Nixon’s re-election campaign broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located at the Watergate Building in Washington, attempting to install listening devices. They were subsequently arrested by the police. Subsequent investigations revealed that Nixon was not only aware of this illegal intrusion but also secretly arranged to pay “buckoffs” in an attempt to cover up any connection between the White House and the incident.
As media outlets such as The Washington Post continued their investigations and reporting, it became increasingly clear that senior White House officials were planning political espionage and covering up facts. After two years of legal investigation, on the eve of Congress’ impeachment proceedings, Nixon announced his resignation in 1974, becoming the only president in American history to resign voluntarily.
Regarding Vance's statements, the controversy in American public opinion focuses on one issue: as political conflicts intensify and controversial events occur frequently, has the tolerance level of American society towards presidential behavior changed? Supporters argue that Vance is pointing out the reality of shorter political news cycles in today's media landscape, but many are concerned that some behaviors that were previously considered unacceptable are being gradually "normalized".
In the eyes of some political observers, Vance’s choice to give a speech at President Nixon’s library has symbolic significance. Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal, while Trump has long criticized the American judicial system and political institutions, and has referred to investigations and lawsuits against him as “political persecution”.
The American liberal political magazine "New Republic" pointed out that the shock among the American public back then was not only due to the president lying to the people, but also because he tried to cover up his illegal actions by paying bribes and using executive privileges to prevent evidence from being disclosed. The incident ultimately led the U.S. government to implement a series of institutional reforms, strengthening the supervision of presidential powers, including granting greater independence to the Attorneys General.
However, The New Republic believes that Vance's statement that "Watergate was not enough to bring down a president" precisely reflects that the social tolerance for politicians' actions in American society has changed, and this change is not accidental.
Nixon knew well that if the American public heard what he had said privately in the Oval Office of the White House, his presidency would be over; whereas Trump “often speaks publicly things that are even worse.”
The article states that the continuous controversial events during Trump's tenure have kept the American public facing various political disturbances. This includes Trump being convicted of 34 felony charges for paying "kiss bills" to adult film actors, his pardon of many participants in the "Capitol Hill riots," and a series of other controversial actions. In this context, political scandals that once had the power to shake the nation may no longer have the same impact.
The American magazine Rolling Stone shares a similar view, stating that Wesson's downplay of the Watergate scandal actually reflects changes in the contemporary Republican political landscape.
The magazine pointed out that Vance described Nixon as being in the process of “revival,” and described the Watergate scandal as something akin to a situation where the “deep state” ostracized the president. However, the problem lies not in the fact that the Watergate scandal itself wasn’t serious, but rather in the changed political environment in America today. The article stated that if the Watergate scandal had occurred today, it likely wouldn’t have led to the president’s resignation as it did back then. But this isn’t because the scandal was less serious, but because some of the presidential behaviors that were once considered unacceptable are now being gradually tolerated.
"The *Gu Shi* believes that Wan's attempt to downplay the significance of the Watergate Incident actually revealed the sliding standards within the Republican Party during Trump's era regarding presidential power, corruption and political accountability."
