Answer:
The event that decreased the popularity of President Ford was that he pardoned President Nixon.
Explanation:
On August 9, 1974, after just nine months as vice president, Ford was named president of the United States after the resignation of then President Richard Nixon, as a result of the Watergate scandal. During his term, he tried to recover the nation's confidence in the government, which had been marred by the event. But one of his first and most controversial acts was to promulgate Nixon's pardon of all the federal crimes he had committed while in office. This pardon was signed by Ford 48 hours after assuming the Presidency. It was effective on September 8, 1974, through the Presidential Proclamation 4311, giving Nixon full and unconditional forgiveness for any crime he may have committed against the United States, while he was president. In a televised broadcast by national network Ford justified the Proclamation, qualifying this pardon as one of the best interests of the country.
The indult to Nixon generated strong controversies. Critics scoffed at the move, calling it "a corrupt bargain" that had been negotiated between the two, arguing in turn that the pardon was a token of gratitude on the part of Ford to Nixon, for having promoted him to the presidency through his resignation. As a result of this, the first Press Secretary of Ford and close friend Jerald Terhorst, resigned his position in protest.
