Press Conference on Questions Related to Nixon September 16, 1974

A week after President Ford gave Richard Nixon a full pardon, he takes questions from the media on his reasons for the pardon, Nixon audiotapes, and the effort to reconcile divisions in the country. President Ford believed that it was in the best interest of the nation to move forward in the healing process and that time had come to use the record of past actions to form a commitment to new insights for a better country.
President Ford historic quote: "the purpose of looking back, is to go forward".

[@drjimbomac]

Ford believed healing the nation was more important than his presidency. I applaud that type of sacrificial leadership.

[@anthonymarengo6228]

Gerald Ford was a good man and a good president. He was very underrated. I supported him in the both the GOP primary and in the general elction in 1976.

[@person3070]

I agree, though I'm a wayyyyy younger fella. Definitely was not alive during the times of Ford

[@mikelight495]

​@@person3070I commend you are an astute young american. Thank-you 8:41

[@mikelight495]

I almost forgot they were heros in the military.

[@yellyman5380]

I think he gives very honest and good answers to these questions. President Ford was needed after 5 years of Nixon.

[@shikat2371]

Compare that to Joe Biden's press conferences. More often than not, Biden wouldn't take questions from reporters at all after finishing his speech.

[@unknownindividual1135]

@@shikat2371that’s unfortunately become increasingly the case with most recent presidents. Obama, Trump, and Bush also didn’t take as many questions as previous presidents. So it’s not really Biden as much as it is a worrying trend within the institution of the presidency itself.

[@thaneofwhiterun3562]

​@@shikat2371Leave it to MAGA cultists to complain about Biden every chance they get.

[@stardaddyo9]

My parents voted for Carter in 1976. The reason: he pardoned Nixon. Ford knew that this move would piss alot of voters off. He thought 2 years would be enough time for them to get over it.

[@williamwingo4740]

If he thought that, it was a typical Washington illusion. Public and media outrage over The Pardon was never going to go away. Even if he had been elected, he would have had to deal with it for his entire four years. He had deprived the media and the democrats of their revenge on Nixon, and they would never forget it. Only now, years after his death, is his image being somewhat retreaded. But I believe that when Ford pardoned Nixon, the idea of running for president on his own had not yet entered his mind. That came later, when the Nixon holdovers in his administration manipulated him into it. They figured that he would keep most of them on, and that they could continue to manipulate him for their own purposes. Fortunately for the country, and probably for Mr. Ford as well, they failed. It was the same with Edward Kennedy in 1980. He and his handlers overestimated the value of the Kennedy charisma--outside of Massachusetts, at least--and underestimated the staying power of Chappaquiddick. That was never going to go away, either.

[@mehdyghaffari2049]

Thanks for the upload

[@tony84.]

6:24, President Ford did the right thing at the time. He needed to heal our nation and get it back on track. He did, and history has judged him more favorably because of his actions. That's true leadership and putting our country first. That is the way the GOP use to be. Today in 2022? Well... not quite.

[@davidbridge5408]

Bullshit.If Ford had allowed the legal process to proceed a jury would have convicted Nixon and a judge would have jailed him. The pardon gave Reagan, Bush 43 & Trump the confidence to flout the laws of the land. Ford was the most weak gutted president since James Buchanan. Did that heal the nation?

[@person3070]

I agree with the pardoning of Nixon

[@moussandiaye9964]

I agree with the pardoning of Nixon even if it cost him a defeat in 1976.

[@frankcivitak8248]

Historic

[@mikewest6569]

Even he said that he was "A Ford, not a Lincoln"

[@williamwingo8952]

And he was absolutely right: out of his depth from day one.

[@bradyfry8031]

He and Carter were too honest and respectful to be president.

[@illyrian44]

carter was a weak fraud lmao

[@mikelight495]

You forgot heroic kind. Both president's ford Carter were veterans. Both bider are o.k. boomers. They are draft dodgers that took advantage of the draft dodging policies for the privileged.

[@travisdean8794]

It’s easy to criticize the job, it’s not easy to do the job.

[@bruceedwards2180]

President Ford was a good man and a good and able President...

[@williamwatson4625]

Ford's press conferences would've been something like this 'til the end of his administration had he not pardoned his predecessor. As you can see, many of the questions asked pertained to Nixon's problems and not to the country's problems.

[@joerouse7908]

24:08. His future press secretary - Ron Nessen - was in the audience and had asked a question earlier.

[@zareonx7959]

Sad that he is remembered by most for one slip and fall leaving an airplane. His Presidency was quite successful, the pardon is what caused him re-election ...IMHO.

[@zareonx7959]

@@mizztery2994 Thank you, I stand corrected. Have a great day!

[@m3rl707]

How was has presidency successful? It was just a fill in until Carter.

[@person3070]

@@m3rl707 Gerald Ford The Good: 1. Helped 130,000 refugees fleeing communism in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam to take refuge in the US 2. Pardoned Nixon (yes I think that’s a good thing) 3. Signing of the Helsinki accords 4. By 1976, the economy had begun to recover from recession, with the economy growing by 5% 5. Inflation fell from 12.3% to 4.9% 6. Was an honest and decent man 7. Rescued the Mayaguez vessel 8. Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 9. Net farm income reached a record high during his presidency. It averaged 28 billion dollars a year as opposed to 12.9 billion dollars averaging the previous 3 years 10. Changing his mind, and bailing out NYC in late 1975 The Bad: 1. Did not object to an Indonesian invasion of East Timor 2. Unemployment rose from 5.4% at the start of his term, to 7.8% by the end of his term. The reasoning for this rise, was because he wanted to tackle the issue of inflation first, then wanted to tackle unemployment. Had he gotten a second term, he may have been able to address this. His presidency was also characterized by stagflation. 3. Failure to integrate schools through federal force in Boston, instead opting for an idealist response (of doing nothing, thinking the federal government had no room to intervene and aid the lives of children), instead of a realist response (of actually intervening)

[@matthewnikitas8905]

@@m3rl707He continued many of the policies of his predecessor which was a good thing in my opinion.

[@GymMusic-xq4nu]

History isn't being kind to Ford after 50 years.

[@milicadjukich4416]

YOU KNOW HOW TO HEAL A NATION, YPU ASK GOD,S FORGIVENESS AND YOU REPENT AS A NATION THAN GOD CAN HEAL A NATION OTHERWISE JUDGEMENT COMES, THIS I GARANTEE YOU. AMERICA NEEDS TO REPENT NOWIN 2022.

[@bmcadie6003]

He was a good guy

[@moussandiaye9964]

Come on Mr Ford,the US government was not involved in the coup against Allende in chile ? You are kidding 😂😂

[@milicadjukich4416]

YOU DO WHAT IS RIGH YOU GO BY THE CONSTITUION AND GOD,S LAWS NOT BY YOUR OWN OPINIONS, OUR FOREFATHERS DID, WAKE UP AMERICA.

[@Twotontessie]

He was awesome but maybe everything does happen for a reason … we got Reagan in ‘80.

[@p1b1harper]

Who else could have shuttered all the factories and foreclosed on all the farms. Yeah Reagan.

[@milicadjukich4416]

ABSOLUTELY TRUE

[@milicadjukich4416]

GOD ALLOWS LEADERS IN AND HE GETS THEM OUT, THST IS A GARANTEE. UT ITS NOT LIJE THAT IN HEAVEN.

[@person3070]

Reagan is overrated

[@rshelton760]

@@person3070 ask the Iranian hostages that question.

[@yorkrojas1452]

Bs

[@marbury2403]

Bad decision. No accountability.

[@hardwoodthought1213]

Not really. He committed political suicide on the hope of moving the nation past the last decade + of corruption and political instability which went beyond Nixon. He also felt a pardon was necessary, both as Nixon wouldn’t have gotten a fair trial due to his huge publicity and that a pardon comes with it the implication of guilt.

[@JammyTom]

I wish they were still respectful. Trump didn't start mean politics, but he utilized it better than pretty much anyone

[@timdaugherty4014]

I'd say take notes Biden but I don't think he knows how to write.

[@yellyman5483]

@ Good comment. They were trying to diminish President Ford by falsely making him out to be a dummy. He wasn`t. They did the same thing to Reagan, and now they are doing it to President Biden. A dummy can not assume the presidency.. You have to be razor sharp.

[@robertyates9500]

Don’t be so ridiculous.

[@yellyman5483]

What the hell does President Biden has got to do with this?

[@yellyman5483]

@@robertyates9500 I`m in awe of the president right now. He is handling the war perfectly. It is so refreshing to finally see a decent man in the oval office for a change. The Trump years were horrible.

[@robertyates9500]

@@yellyman5483 I agree with you generally. I just think his initial comment was incredibly dumb and rude.