Richard Nixon's last press conference

Nixon's "last" press conference was held in the election for Governor of California at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 7, 1962, the day after Richard Nixon's defeat. In an angry monologue Nixon criticized the media coverage that would have never given him a fair chance. He ended the press conference with the famous sentence

"In the future you will Nixon can not be pushed around, because, gentlemen, my last press conference. "

"You will not have Nixon to kick around anymore, Because gentlemen, this is my last press conference. "

Background

In the gubernatorial election in California, 1962, the former vice president Richard Nixon ran as the Republican candidate, but was from the beginning, as an outsider, as the Democratic incumbent Pat Brown was very popular. Nixon, however, had become politically and personally not yet recovered from his loss to John F. Kennedy in the presidential elections in 1960 and led a weak campaign. Although the polls had initially found a slight advantage for Nixon, Brown, who began relatively late in his campaign was able to catch up this lead. Brown's victory over 5 % lead over his Republican opponent surprised in its clarity, the media audience across the country.

Press conference

On the evening of election day (November 6 ) to Nixon's defeat loomed already, the candidate himself refused until after midnight on the advice of his campaign manager Harry Robbins Haldeman, to speak to the media, because in Orange County, which was traditionally set republican, many votes were not counted. When the final election defeat became clear, Nixon congratulated Governor Brown by telegram. Nixon's team decided the candidate should leave through a rear exit the hotel. At ten clock morning the next day saying Nixon's press secretary, Herb Klein just with reporters, as Nixon himself suddenly entered the room and Klein urged almost violently to the side. He then began his approximately fifteen-minute speech. He said he was aware that all the reporters were pleased with his defeat, they would have had in the last sixteen years, since his election to Congress, and since the fall of Alger Hiss " lots of fun " with him and he never had a fair chance given. But he hoped that the papers would now be a single time also print what he actually said. After incoherent references to the economic situation, the Cuban missile crisis and the election campaign Browns he returned to the basic theme of his speech, the media criticism back. He hoped, Nixon said that his speech would have the consequence that in the future every newspaper at least one reporter actually could tell what a candidate is expressed in the election campaign and so give him the opportunity to make his arguments. Then he ended his speech with the above-cited final sentence. Although the event was billed as a press conference and is referred to as such in the literature, Nixon refused following his speech to answer questions from reporters.

Aftermath

In the general public, the press conference was considered irrevocable end of Nixon's political career. His media-critical speech was seen as a sign that he was a bad loser who had not sufficiently control his emotions. John Ehrlichman, a close confidant of the president later stated that this had been standing in the election night under the influence of drugs and alcohol; Haldeman suggested similar. President Kennedy said in a private conversation that he doubted of Nixon's mental health, because no one who was mentally normal, can ever hold such a speech. Nixon himself regretted his words in later years not and spoke of a warning that had led to the media much fairer treated him in later campaigns. Not long-term - Despite the immense negative publicity, the "last" press conference Nixon harm 's political career - against all expectations.