Always obvious, the Trump-Nixon parallels are now downright uncanny

Always obvious, the Trump-Nixon parallels are now downright uncanny
Trump's corruption in plain sight is making Nixon look like an amateur

By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published September 23, 2025 9:10AM (EDT)


(Salon) ntil very recently, the consensus among historians and political observers was that Richard Nixon was the most corrupt president in American history. There had been other scandals, of course, but none of them featured the same crude, gangster quality of Watergate, the details of which shocked and appalled the American people as they were slowly uncovered between 1972 and 1974. We learned that the president of the United States acted like a common thug in private, issuing orders to his enforcers in language closer to that used by the mobsters featured in the recent hit movie “The Godfather” than the dignified leader of the free world.

He was an amateur compared to Donald Trump.

Even after Nixon won reelection in 1972 in what remains one of the biggest landslide victories in American politics, he was consumed with resentment. Always a sour type who liked to whine that he had always been treated unfairly, he nurtured a long list of grievances against a long list of perceived enemies. The presidency became his vehicle for punishing them. The administration maintained an enemies list, which included reporters, actors, singers, business leaders, political rivals, Democratic donors and others — all for the express purpose of “[using] the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.”

....(snip)....

Nixon’s is a familiar story, but it’s worth reexamining in light of events that unfolded over the weekend. On Saturday, Trump published a very odd post on Truth Social. Addressed specifically to “Pam” — as if it were meant to be a text or a direct message to Attorney General Pam Bondi — it ordered her to take immediate action on prosecuting the enemies on his list. The president specifically named Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

....(snip)....

But Trump has gone farther than Nixon ever contemplated. After his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with the infamous events of Jan. 6, Trump was rewarded with a triumphant return to the White House four years later. Now, as his corruption and retribution have gone into overdrive, he maintains the full and enthusiastic support of his party. ...................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/09/23/always-obvious-the-trump-nixon-parallels-are-now-downright-uncanny/