'The small things become big': Chuck Todd recalls Richard Nixon's warning to future presidents

27 March 2023

On Sunday's edition of Meet the Press, NBC News moderator Chuck Todd recalled former President Richard Nixon's April 10th, 1988 appearance on the show and the relevance that Nixon's remarks have to today's political climate.

"Donald Trump may indeed become the first American president to be indicted, but others have come close. In 1974, a grand jury named Richard Nixon an unindicted co-conspirator for his role in the Watergate scandal. Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford after his resignation and never formally was charged with any crimes. He joined Meet the Press in 1988 and talked about the impact Watergate had on his legacy, and he also had a warning for future presidents," Todd explained.

Nixon said at the time:

Winston Churchill once wrote that strong leaders usually do the big things well, but they foul up on small things and then the small things become big. I should have read that before Watergate happened. In 1972, we went to China. We went to Russia. We ended the Vietnam War effectively by the end of that year. Those were the big things, and then here was a small thing, and we followed it up beyond belief. It was a great mistake. It was wrong, as I pointed out over and over again. But under the circumstances now, people as they judge that period, have to see what we accomplished and what we did wrong. And for the future, I would advise all those that follow me and the position of president, do the big things as well as you can. But when a small thing is there, deal with it. Deal with it fast. Get it out of the way because if you don't, it's gonna become big and then it may destroy you.

Todd added, "just to remind you, that small thing was an attempt to hijack the Democratic primary process, and in this case, perhaps successfully pick the candidate they wanted to run against in 1972."

Watch below or at this link.

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