Richard Nixon Announces Resignation Amid Watergate Scandal

On August 8, 1974, U.S. President Richard Nixon addressed the nation on television and announced that he would resign from the presidency at noon the following day. His resignation, effective on August 9, made him the first U.S. president to voluntarily leave office and concluded the constitutional crisis triggered by the Watergate break‑in and subsequent cover‑up.

Nixon cited the national interest over personal ambition, noting that the country needed a fully engaged president and Congress during a period of domestic and foreign challenges. Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th president on August 9, assuming the duties of the office. The Watergate affair, which began with the 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the illegal activities of the Committee for the Re‑Election of the President (CREEP), had eroded Nixon’s political support and led to the impeachment proceedings that prompted his decision to step down.