A Visit With the First Lady - Pat Nixon Interview

Virginia Sherwood of ABC News sits with First Lady Pat Nixon for an exclusive interview. This special report, "A Visit with the First Lady," aired September 12, 1971.
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[@rdo1231]

She was a great lady - she did America proud

[@deirdre581]

She reminds me of my grandmother, who was born around the same time. The mannerisms, the pauses in conversation, how articulate she was. Each generation is different, and I miss this generation 😭

[@stevenpatrickstone766]

That same year, 1971, she secretly invited Jackie Onassis and her children for dinner. This is just one example of her kindness and class. Pat Nixon was a great First Lady.

[@raymondcurry2278]

Tbe reason for the invitation was for the unveiling of the Kennedy portraits.

[@pAusten]

Yes I just read that today. Her daughter details it in the biography she wrote about her mother.

[@emmarose4234]

I read that little Pat Ryan raised a 4-H pig (and won a red ribbon) and little Jacqueline Bouvier raised a 4-H calf. Is this true?

[@irshgrl500]

Oh, I love that.

[@kevincorcoran6493]

That was the first and only time that she ever return to the White House

[@joshuanavarro160]

Pat Nixon, was such a great blessing for our nation. She is wholly the most underrated and most unknown of our modern First Lady’s. Mrs. Nixon had incredible efforts as the First Lady that helped Americans all across the country and efforts that helped the people of the world. Whether it was volunteerism and encouraging people to lend a helping hand or warmly greeting people wherever she went and spreading the message of goodwill, she most definitely left a mark on people’s hearts. She also had tremendous efforts of preservation and decoration in the White House, with the redesign of the Blue Room, and the new furnishings of the Blue, Green, and Red Rooms. Also during her tenure the White House was lit up at night. Mrs. Nixon had efforts that made the people’s home more accessible to those with disabilities and added new features onto the White House tours for them. Before being the First Lady, Pat Nixon was a woman who dealt, lived, and strived through many hardships. As a county America has been so blessed with great leaders throughout our past that new generations can look up to, Pat Nixon is no exception to that rule.

[@jolenaagapisou3803]

Joshua Navarro - very well said, I like her too & very underrated First Lady

[@eduardogavilanes4651]

Better than the hooker at the White House who can’t even speak English

[@aa697]

In my opinion the greatest First Lady of all time. She was never underrated as far as my own opinion is concerned. She has tremendous dignity and strength. And she also happened to be very intelligent and beautiful.

[@lorenzocintorino1079]

Mrs. Nixon was such a gracious and lovely person. She was the silent strength behind the President during both his triumphs and also during his most troubling days. My family was deeply saddened at the time of her death.

[@wc6936]

What a wonderful, genuine lady.

[@_Highvalue_]

You sure it's a lady

[@dwood37]

Wow! She’s really terrific!!! A great First Lady!!

[@sandraskalnik2369]

Mrs. Nixon was a beautiful and gentile lady. As an unpaid servant to this country, she worked diligently and enjoyed every minute of it. The country has lost that in our First Lady’s . Better late than never, thank you Mrs Nixon for being such a wonderful First Lady. You wore the title proudly and the country was proud to call you First Lady Pat Nixon.

[@Yobbie72]

I love Pat. Such a gentle soul, and yet, so strong. Great sense of style and fashion too, which she brought to the role and to the White House.

[@WELCOME_CHANNEL339]

Behind every strong man, there is an even stronger woman. President Nixon was a lucky man and he knew it.

[@davidk7672]

Pres Nixon was lucky to have her in life and in the afterlife. A true patriot and genuine american icon of the first order

[@hanklogsdon8390]

Pat Nixon had class intelligence beauty and she was a very kind person. Underated First Lady!! Rip Mrs Nixon

[@bruceperez2283]

She is a strong woman and great first lady and great wife to Pres. Nixon. Now I understand why Pres Nixon cried openly and profusely during his wife funeral. He really felt her absence.

[@laurencedauplay5649]

Seeing Pat Nixon in this program made me admire her gentleness and her down to earth personality, greatly intelligent!

[@michaelbarlow6610]

Pat Nixon was one of the most gracious and dignified First Ladies this nation has ever had and she showed tremendous class and dignity during the Watergate scandal when her husband was under enormous pressure to resign because of that scandal and she never uttered a word of criticism against the TV comedy show "Saturday Night Live" when that show disgustingly mocked Mrs. Nixon by making her out to be an alcoholic during the last weeks of her husband's presidency! Can you imagine the enormous emotional pain that woman experienced when that show made fun of her?! The producers and other personnel of SNL should have been ashamed of themselves and should have been criticised no end for making fun of her the way they did!

[@lorettazwarts4847]

Pat Nixon, my favorite First Lady. Attractive, poised and highly educated. Her favorite saying: Onward and Upward! Always a fighter and survivor, no matter what hardships she had to endure.

[@irshgrl500]

I'm too young to remember Pat. But what a delightful lady she was. What a gift this country had with her as First Lady.

[@AMWey-tw8hc]

God Bless President and Mrs. Nixon!

[@armani11280]

Thank you for posting. There are so few in depth interviews with Mrs. Nixon. Her warmth and charm really come through!

[@johnflynn9619]

Pat Nixon was the Greatest First Lady. CLASS - RIP

[@scotnick59]

The Monet painting is gorgeous

[@normalawson4893]

A wonderful lady.

[@joijaxx]

Wonderful First Lady, i was a kid when Tricia got married and I remember how excited I was. I sent her a paper flower as a gift LOL 🌸

[@josephcalzada2265]

One of the BEST by far. Had every aspect of being First Lady down to a science. This should be shown to all would be First Ladies. CLASS ACT

[@jonchaney]

Pat was really beautiful!! I like her. She seems poised and down to earth. I’m a new fan of pat Nixon.

[@jarrodbair2319]

jon122569 if you need further evidence of how important she was watch watch how badly Richard falls apart at her funeral. They were a rare demonstration of an honorable and moral family.

[@jv-ep2tc]

she was about 60 here and looks quite youthful for the time.

[@vester7457]

All these years later seeing Pat Nixon. What a beautiful woman she was, both inside and out. So feminine refined and well mannered. I truly miss Presdent Nixon and his wife, Pat.

[@mclogan4010]

This is great; thank you for posting. Mrs. Nixon did not receive the credit she was due for the massive refurbishment of the White House collection in the early 1970s. I would encourage anyone who is interested to read Patrick Phillips-Schrock's book, 'The Nixon White House Redecoration and Acquisition Program: An Illustrated History.' Mrs. Nixon was a tireless worker. I enjoy seeing her get some of the recognition she deserves. FWIW, I'm a liberal Democrat. Pat Nixon was a great American that all political stripes can admire.

[@ericnelson9100]

Mrs. Nixon herself was a liberal too; she was for abortion, woman's rights and peace.

[@bretwebster6266]

Personally responding to all the people that have taken time to write to her. What a monumental accomplishment, and I am sure she wrote with a great deal of love and passion for the people of the United States.

[@tomtriffid]

I have to say, this was a simply wonderful production; it made me feel a great deal of nostalgia for the presence of President and Mrs. Nixon in the public life of America. They brought a good deal of grace to our world. Thanks to the Foundation for posting this.

[@sarahkofman1921]

We grew up hating nixon. God if only we had him now. How lovely is pat Nixon

[@garryharriman7349]

Recent modern presidencies and their illegality make Watergate look like a school boy prank,. doesn't it? Gulf of Tonkin, Iran Contra, Iraq to name but a few. I also think there is far more CIA involvement in Watergate than we, the public, currently are privy to.

[@aliyarahman85]

He was a man of value.

[@NorthernGreenEyes]

@@garryharriman7349 Look at us now!! We're a laughing stock 😮‍💨

[@piusx8317]

She and Laura Bush very under estimated as first ladies. Both great!

[@ld1655]

I like them both. Was always a fan of Laura Bush. I watched this to learn more about Mrs. Nixon. Great interview. There is also one on Betty Ford that is very good, done in 2006. Mrs. Trump would do well to review them all as they are her FLOTUS Republican predecessors.

[@_Highvalue_]

He*, they're both men.

[@perrycomeau2627]

A very kind and out-spoken woman.

[@sharonjones1320]

She truly was the unsinkable Pat Nixon.

[@1212matt]

History will be kind to Pat Nixon

[@erungannixon4031]

Great Lady 👍👍👍....

[@frederickcombs8661]

A total pro and she always looked great on camera.

[@MLaker221]

I've been researching her 1970 trip to Grundy County Illinois. Because she took the EJ&E out to Goose Lake prarie, her visit blended in with my newspaper clippings for our towns Caboose tour. This is the first time I'm hearing her talk

[@normalawson4893]

Pat Nixon was fine first lady

[@Chauncey60]

0:18 This is the single most important piece of advice for any man regardless of who you are. Yes, your life is 100% your responsibility, but if you choose the wrong woman it can destroy you. Yes, I speak from experience.

[@BrianJosephMorgan]

Most assuredly my favorite First Lady.

[@SueProv]

I'm very impressed with her. She had alot to deal with. Nixon had a great asset in his wife.

[@ralphewell8398]

I love Melania, but Pat Nixon will always be my favorite First Lady. She was so peaceful and giving and beautiful.

[@ashleyworden1887]

As long as you don't love Trump!

[@tomwatson1434]

Mrs Nixon made a great impact upon the USA and the world.

[@joijaxx]

Wonderful First Lady, i was a kid when Tricia got married and I remember how excited I was. I sent her a paper flower LOL 🌸

[@Twotontessie]

She was awesome. Nixon was fortunate to have her stick with it the whole way. I like when she relaxes and kind of goes into that California "accent." Hard R sound etc. "howrever"

[@sarahkofman1921]

We're such good friends with Mexico. Thank you pat Nixon. RIP

[@davidoliversplayvisions3371]

Class act all the way. Wonderful interview.

[@robz7789]

Silent Pat, lovely program.

[@fiqrialtariq4067]

Pat nixon beuatiful

[@randolphgarcia3494]

NOTE: (RIP) MRS. PAT NIXON, YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY IS FOREVER, YOUR LATE HUSBAND WILL ALWAYS BE CONTROVERSIAL, LESS SO AS TIME PASSES, BUT YOU WERE TRULY A LOVELY GRACEFUL & CLASSY FIRST LADY. SHE PASSED AWAY IN 1993 & HER LATE HUSBAND FORMER PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON PASSED AWAY ONE YEAR LATER DUE TO COMPLICATIONS FROM A STROKE IN FY 1994.

[@garryharriman7349]

Pat Nixon had a lot on her plate being married to Richard Nixon. She sacrficed a lot and would probably have preferred him to bow out of politics after Kennedy stole the 1960 election. She reminds me of my recently deceased mother in law actually. Thanks for this amazing upload.

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

...Mrs. Nixon was a pretty lady, very elegant and poised.

[@bongbong7962]

Remembering First Lady Pat Nixon (1912 - 1994) on her 31st anniversary of her passing.

[@nickshannon7309]

I'm not a fan of president Nixon but he was a interesting president and his wife was a wonderful lady and probably brought out the good in president Nixon history says he depended on her and she was his rock in alot of cases

[@tinalaplaca6638]

She seems like a lot of fun. She is very poised

[@timothystenger946]

A brilliant and effective President of a caliber that no longer exists in the American presidency and a first lady of quality and elegance also sorely missing.. the contrast to today is more than tragic its nauseating

[@dannyburch2122]

Nice lady

[@kevi5641]

Pat Nixon a great lady I know President Nixon truly loved Pat very much with good reason. In ways my heart always went out to Pat because I felt Pat was a private person and didn`t like the eyes of the media always on her. A very great wife, mother and first lady.

[@user-fm5nf6um7u]

Still my favorite. She really was a servant to mankind.

[@joyknutson6468]

She knew the meaning of her wedding vows for better or for worse Nixon was the best and the brightest and so was Mrs Nixon

[@linniem5982]

Pat got a fresh pack of Viceroys per day. My neighbor was her valet at The Roosevelt.

[@edoardopesce9226]

How appropriate, the "First Lady of the U.S.". Her smile has not been equaled. And look at her at the Mexican border...you can recognize real kindness

[@hussienalsafi1149]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@sharonjones1320]

I was concerned that the water gate stupid stuff may have caused her to have the stroke that eventually caused her loss of life.

[@louanne801]

That kind of stress can raise already high blood pressure, leading to a stroke.

[@briggsak05]

An amazing positive

[@ashleyworden1887]

Pat Nixon was so absolutely beautiful! I'm not trying to be dirty; it's just that she was such a wonderful person!😛

[@robertdoust7547]

Hi Just Tops Again , Cheers ROBERT.

[@sebastian19739]

Pat seemed like she could make a good scotch drink.

[@2abbaking]

Genuine warm woman. Unfortunately she was a heavy smoker much of her life and died much too early from lung cancer.

[@jackchen7003]

I wouldn’t say much too early. She was 81 years old, but could’ve lived longer hadn’t been for her smoking habit

[@user-en1sc3gt6w]

She was a closet smoker as was Jackie Kennedy Onassis. You NEVER seen them with a cigarette

[@chuckecheese3161]

My grandfather was upset over this Impeachment. I recall he also said at the Time water would cost more in my lifetime and I inquired about genetically modified food I was in Fourth grade at the time. Amazing you can choose paint now custom blended decorating is personal style. My favorite place would be 🌹 🥰 garden/Dolly

[@chattisimo1239]

Beautiful!!! Tell Donald Trump that Pat Nixon doesn't think there should be a border with Mexico as they and USA are such good friends. Julie Nixon wrote about this in her bio about her mother. Pat Nixon was fantastic as first lady.

[@harrysmith747]

Interesting for all her pristine look, she has a husky smokers voice

[@CanadianMonarchist]

Apparently she was quite a heavy smoker.

[@user-en1sc3gt6w]

She was a closet smoker as was Jackie Kennedy Onassis. You NEVER seen them with a cigarette

[@robertdoust7547]

Hi Just Tops ,!!! Ok, Cheers ROBERT.

[@65wiseman]

Her voice reminds me of Vivien Leigh's

[@tomtriffid]

29:19 She opposes the small fence between California and Mexico; her distress at it suggests she wouldn't like Trump's fence, either.

[@sodality3970]

You mean , America's border wall , which is according to law .

[@camillechang7120]

Before my time

[@thomaspick4123]

Pleasant to see a civil interview. Polite questions. Let the interviewee relax so they can express themselves and we can learn more about them. In 2018, the reporters are so nasty. The guest has to be on the defensive. We do not get to know the guest. I will be glad to leave this cruel world behind and be with my only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[@douglaz74]

Thomas Pick Barbara Walters is the worst news person. She is pushy mean hypocritical

[@siddebgupta9620]

Heck no Michael Oooooobama

[@mariaevans5793]

A true lady ,who ensured at lot at the hands of her husband who I have read ,blacked her eyes and hit her many times when he was in a rage , Nixon wasn't gentleman to treat her or any woman like that !!!!!😑🇬🇧

[@michaelbellingham719]

poor pat.. imagine being married to that.. let alone being intimate.. where's my puuuuukkkkee bucket.. omg!

[@JeffSkilling69]

I'd say the same about someone with you.

[@Charles8777-od4kj]

Richard Nixon died 10 months after her through. Well, that is an example of widowhood effect.

[@JoanneLG1960]

She deserves a medal for sticking with a volatile and abusive husband for the same of his career

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

...This is true. 👍🏽💯

[@sodality3970]

@@user-mj8nf2vp7q BS

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

@@sodality3970 ...Back under your bridge troll, you have no powers here!

[@JeffSkilling69]

Sy Hersh and his bs

[@65wiseman]

I have heard that her husband treated her with cold indifference.

[@jarrodbair2319]

65wiseman the actions don’t fit the words.

[@chrisamon6880]

Uh, we're in serious trouble.

[@WoodJack99]

Her husband was a crook, but Mrs. Nixon doesn't seem too bad...

[@hollywoodev1711]

this is a man

[@seancampbell9740]

Trumps could learn something off this lady. Although they wouldn't have the education to understand that

[@LibertyStation92106]

She put up with a lot from her husband. He became physical with at least 2x.

[@JeffSkilling69]

Did Sy Hersh tell u that?

[@joijaxx]

Wonderful First Lady, i was a kid when Tricia got married and I remember how excited I was. I sent her a paper flower as a gift LOL 🌸