There were several things that helped Ronald Reagan win the presidential election of 1980, but once of the biggest was appealing to racist white southerners.
Answer:
In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford, who had succeeded to the presidency upon Nixon's resignation, explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country and that the Nixon family's situation was "a tragedy in which we all have played a part.
He planned for the next president to bring Nixon to trial.