Nixon News & Notes
Why the New Right loves Richard Nixon
Bill Murray tells Joe Rogan that “they framed Nixon” after reading Bob Woodward’s book about his friend John Belushi. Vice President JD Vance claims that “the ‘deep state’ took down Richard Nixon” before an applauding audience. The Richard Nixon Foundation produces dozens of viral videos that set archival footage of the 37th president to modern pop music. Their hats, stamped with “Nixonmaxxing,” sell out in a few hours.
Tanned, rested, and ready — at least virtually — Nixon is back. The origins of his revival lie in the breakdown of what we can call the “post-Watergate consensus,” held by the baby boomer generation that watched the scandal unfold on television. This breakdown has created the opening for a younger, rebellious American Right to embrace Nixon. Even though the 37th president’s administration was never very conservative, Nixon has become a symbol for a conservative counterculture as well as a heuristic for understanding the true character of the American regime.
‘Nixonmaxxing’ Is More than a Meme
Richard Nixon is back, in vibe form.
Multiple mainstream outlets have reported on young conservatives’ admiration for the disgraced 37th president. Because this is the summer of 2026, the phenomenon has unfortunately been dubbed “Nixonmaxxing.”