Chris Wallace drew some hanging parallels Monday between the “origin story” of former Presidents Donald Trump and Richard Nixon and the Joker — whose anarchist ethos as a fictional Batman villain Wallace likened to Trump’s unstable resentment of the justice system.
The veteran information anchor argues in his new e-book “Countdown 1960” that Nixon’s loss within the 1960 presidential election towards John F. Kennedy solely emboldened him to resort to extra ruthless techniques, which he equated with Trump on MSNBC’s “Inside With Jen Psaki.”
“Nixon had a repute as being a unclean politician,” Wallace told the former White House press secretary on her show, per Mediaite. “That’s the place he acquired the nickname Tough Dick. However, in 1960, he determined to run as a statesman to attempt to put that every one behind him.”
“And a few individuals have advised to me that possibly his defeat in 1960 and the way properly he performed was the origin story of the villain, form of just like the origin story of the Joker,” he continued. “And, clearly, in a few of the Watergate tapes, you may hear his anger and his bitterness.”
Nixon misplaced the 1960 election by one of the thinnest margins in U.S. history. After profitable the presidency practically a decade later, he engaged in unlawful wiretapping on the Watergate Lodge to forestall that from taking place once more — and resigned when this turned public.
Whereas there are numerous origin tales for the Joker throughout the character’s historical past, the most recent iteration on-screen considerations a downtrodden citizen whose sense of societal unfairness sees him provoke a military of equally dejected residents to chaotic outcomes.
Wallace argued Monday that the “very unhealthy affect” of Watergate was solely potential attributable to Nixon’s perception that “Kennedy stole the election from me,” and advised Watergate may pale to what Trump may do if he defeats Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
He has already laid the groundwork to problem the outcomes if he loses.
“I feel it’s undoubtedly — you would say Trump was already a harmful character earlier than, however, clearly, shedding the 2020 election has not improved his sense of truthful play or serious about the nation over his personal private profit,” he instructed Psaki.
Trump has regularly solid doubt on the 2020 election outcomes and, regardless of being indicted on election interference prices in 2023 and suggesting he’d unleash the U.S. army on his opponents if he wins, is monitoring Harris by only a couple points.
Early voting within the election, by mail and in particular person, has already begun in a number of states.
