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| Source:Richard Nixon Foundation- President Richard M. Nixon (Republican, California) addressing a joint session of Congress in 1972. Vice President Spiro Agnew (Republican, Maryland) and Speaker of the House Carl Albert (Democrat, Oklahoma) in the background. |
"January 20, 1972: President Nixon gives the State of the Union Address."
From the Richard Nixon Foundation
President Richard Nixon was probably at the height of his power and popularity when he gave this speech in 1972. Election Night 1972 when he was overwhelmingly reelected with 60% of the voter and winning 499 states that year over Senator George McGovern, would be the only moment that could compete with his 1972 State of the Union.
1971 was a very difficult year for President Richard Nixon politically. The Vietnam War was out of control, the New-Left antiwar-movement was on the march and the Nixon White House didn't seem to know how to handle that and President Nixon was paranoid about that and thinking that the Communist Party was the reason for the antiwar-movement in the country. And that's probably why The White House put together the so-called plumbers unit in The White House, as well as the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
But in early 1972, President Nixon was able to open up relationships with both the Soviet Union of Russia, as well as the People's Republic of China. The two Communist superpowers in the world. The economy was still strong at home and it looked like President Nixon was on his way to a strong reelection, early in 1972.
