Skip to content
1981
Donald Trump: The Presidency and the Media
  • ISSN: 1466-0407
  • E-ISSN: 1758-9118

Abstract

The development of the miniseries as a TV genre during the 1970s became central to American television’s dramatization of the nation’s history through stories that combined fact and fiction to relate the past to contemporary US culture. Rarely considered, however, is the ways in which increasing slippages between the screen and real-world events might work to presage the culture and politics of the future, illuminating historical connections that move beyond a television drama’s moment of production. This article explores the 1977 ABC miniseries , an adaptation of John Ehrlichman’s novel and its fictional tale of a Nixon-like president, drawing on the author’s experiences as part of the Nixon administration. Emerging in the contexts of the historical miniseries and various screen depictions of Watergate, the show became part of a blurring of the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction in the re-telling of Richard Nixon’s doomed tenure as president. At the same time, the article contends, the explicit fictionalization of the nation’s recent political history in provides a space in which to read the show as a prescient imagining of the United States’ political future later realized in the presidency of Donald Trump.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ejac_00068_1
2022-06-01
2024-11-06
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aggarwal, Mayank. ( 2021;), ‘ Trump tapes worse than Watergate, Bernstein says. ’, Independent, 4 January, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-georgia-watergate-carl-bernstein-b1781889.html. Accessed 20 November 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. American Archive ( n.d.;), ‘ Watergate and public broadcasting. ’, https://americanarchive.org/exhibits/watergate/watergate-and-public-broadcasting#Gavel-to-Gavel. Accessed 23 November 2021.
  3. Anon. ( 1973;), ‘ Ziegler apologizes to Washington Post on Watergate. ’, The New York Times, 2 May, https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/02/archives/ziegler-apologizes-to-washington-post-on-watergate.html. Accessed 15 September 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Anon. ( 1976;), ‘ Ehrlichman’s “Company” to be ABC Series in ‘77. ’, The New York Times, 18 November, https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/18/archives/ehrlichmans-company-to-be-abc-series-in-77.html. Accessed 18 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Anon. ( 1977;), ‘ The nation: Nixon talks. ’, Time, 9 May, https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,947900,00.html. Accessed 12 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Anon. ( 1978;), ‘ Nixon, Haldeman, Frost and … hype. ’, The Washington Post, 15 February, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/02/15/nixon-haldeman-frost-and-hype/7d9ebd74-bf69-4714-b76b-cda3d01808f2/. Accessed 12 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Baker, Peter. ( 2018;), ‘ “Bigger than Watergate”? Both sides say yes but for different reasons. ’, The New York Times, 17 May, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/us/politics/watergate-trump-russia-inquiry.html. Accessed 10 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Bolton, John. ( 2020), The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Boorstin, Daniel. ( 1962), The Image, New York:: Harper;.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Brown, Les. ( 1977;), ‘ “Washington: Behind Closed Doors” on ABC withstood rivals’ assaults. ’, The New York Times, 13 September, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/13/archives/washington-behind-closed-doors-on-abc-withstood-rivals-assaults-nbc.html. Accessed 20 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Buchwald, Art. ( 1977;), ‘ What are the facts behind the David Frost cover-up?. ’, The Washington Post, 29 May, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/05/29/what-are-the-facts-behind-the-david-frost-cover-up/6088f722-6253-402a-928c-bfc8a3e7388a/. Accessed 14 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Buckley, William F. Jr.. ( 1976;), ‘ The villain is, you guessed it, the president. ’, The New York Times, 6 June, https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/06/archives/the-villain-is-you-guessed-it-the-president-the-company-the-company.html. Accessed 7 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Colson, Charles. ( 1976), Born Again, Ada, MI:: Chosen Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Comey, James. ( 2018), A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, New York:: Flatiron Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Daddario, Daniel. ( 2020;), ‘ “The Comey Rule” is as self-satisfied as its subject: TV review. ’, Variety, 1 September, https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/the-comey-rule-showtime-1234754580/. Accessed 25 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Dean, John. ( 1976), Blind Ambition: The White House Years, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Edgerton, Gary R.. ( 2001;), ‘ Introduction: Television as historian: A different kind of history altogether. ’, in G. R. Edgerton, and P. C. Rollins. (eds), Television Histories: Shaping Collective Memory in the Media, Lexington, KY:: University Press of Kentucky;, pp. 116.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Ehrlichman, John. ( 1979), The Whole Truth, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Ehrlichman, John. ( 1982), Witness to Power: The Nixon Years, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Frost, David. ( 1978), I Gave Them a Sword: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews, London:: Macmillan;.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Green, Emma. ( 2013;), ‘ How the Nixon administration tried to woo women. ’, The Atlantic, 22 August, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/how-the-nixon-administration-tried-to-woo-women/278924/. Accessed 9 November 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Haldeman, H. R., and DiMona, Joseph. ( 1978), The Ends of Power, New York:: Times Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Johnson, Ted. ( 2017;), ‘ When congressional hearings become “the hottest daytime soap opera”. ’, Variety, 7 June, https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/john-dean-watergate-hearings-tv-moments-1202456418/. Accessed 15 September 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Kakutani, Michicko. ( 2018;), ‘ James Comey has a story to tell. It’s very persuasive. ’, The New York Times, 12 April, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/books/review/james-comey-a-higher-loyalty.html. Accessed 20 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Kilander, Gustaf. ( 2021;), ‘ “Nixon on stilts and steroids”: Watergate-era White House lawyer digs into bombshell new Trump scandal. ’, Independent, 13 June, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-nixon-watergate-scandal-b1864800.html. Accessed 4 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Lemann, Nicholas. ( 2021;), ‘ Michael Wolff on Donald Trump’s last days (for now). ’, The New York Times, 12 July, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/books/review/michael-wolff-landslide-trump.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes. Accessed 15 September 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Lozada, Carlos. ( 2018;), ‘ In his new book, James Comey calls for “ethical leadership.” But does he live up to it?. ’, The Washington Post, 14 April, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2018/04/14/in-his-new-book-james-comey-calls-for-ethical-leadership-but-does-he-live-up-to-it/. Accessed 21 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Manigault Newman, Omarosa. ( 2018), Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House, New York:: Gallery Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. McEvoy, Jemima. ( 2021;), ‘ Trump asked attorney general to declare 2020 election corrupt “and leave the rest to me”, notes show. ’, Forbes, 30 July, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/07/30/trump-asked-attorney-general-to-declare-2020-election-corrupt-and-leave-the-rest-to-me-notes-show/?sh=a1ad77c3ff96. Accessed 6 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. McNally, Karen. ( 2022;), ‘ Introduction: A presidency made for television. ’, in K. McNally. (ed.), American Television During a Television Presidency, Detroit, MI:: Wayne State University Press;, pp. 116.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. McNally, Karen, and Forde, Teresa. ( 2019;), ‘ Reading Mad Men in the era of Trump. ’, in K. McNally,, J. Marcellus,, T. Forde, and K. Fairclough. (eds), The Legacy of Mad Men: Cultural History, Intermediality and American Television, London:: Palgrave Macmillan;, pp. 25162.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Nixon, Richard. ( 1978), The Memoirs of Richard Nixon, New York:: Grosset & Dunlap;.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. O’Connor, John J.. ( 1974;), ‘ TV view: David Frost’s memorable interview with Nixon. ’, The New York Times, 15 May, https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/05/15/issue.html. Accessed 14 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. O’Connor, John J.. ( 1977;), ‘ TV: Opening Washington doors. ’, The New York Times, 6 September, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/06/archives/tv-opening-washington-doors-abc-series-from-novel-by-ehrlichman.html. Accessed 20 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Rich, Frank. ( 1977;), ‘ Television: High soap opera in D.C.. ’, Time, 5 September, https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,915401,00.html. Accessed 25 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Rogers, Katie. ( 2020;), ‘ Protestors dispersed with tear gas so Trump could pose at church. ’, The New York Times, 1 June, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/us/politics/trump-st-johns-church-bible.html. Accessed 10 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Rymsza-Pawlowska, Malgorzata J.. ( 2014;), ‘ Broadcasting the past: History television, “nostalgia culture”, and the emergence of the miniseries in the 1970s in the United States. ’, Journal of Popular Film and Television, 42:2, pp. 8190.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Safire, William. ( 1975;), ‘ John Ehrlichman’s novel. ’, The New York Times, 17 November, https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/17/archives/john-ehrlichmans-novel-essay.html. Accessed 2 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Shales, Tom. ( 1977;), ‘ Washington. ’, The Washington Post, 6 September, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/09/06/washington/25ac3936-ff2b-41be-ada3-d64d6702cf2d/. Accessed 20 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Sherrill, Robert. ( 1982;), ‘ The assistant’s revenge. ’, New York Times Book Review, 24 January, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/24/books/the-assistants-revenge.html. Accessed 25 August 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Sidey, Hugh. ( 1972;), ‘ Leader of a new “establishment”. ’, Life, 17 November, pp. 410.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Solender, Andrew. ( 2020;), ‘ Trump says he will “negotiate” third term because he’s “entitled” to it. ’, Forbes, 13 September, https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/09/13/trump-says-he-will-negotiate-third-term-because-hes-entitled-to-it/?sh=7375c02a287c. Accessed 6 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Stonebridge, Lyndsey. ( 2018;), ‘ In the age of political melodrama, Trump’s monstrous villainy makes us all complicit. ’, Prospect, 25 June, https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/in-the-age-of-political-melodrama-trumps-monstrous-villainy-makes-us-all-complicit-trump-children-ice-arendt. Accessed 6 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Washington Post Live ( 2020;), ‘ The Comey Rule: A conversation with Jeff Daniels, Billy Ray and James Comey. ’, The Washington Post, 2 September, https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2020/09/16/comey-rules/. Accessed 20 July 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Wolff, Michael. ( 2018), Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, New York:: Henry Holt;.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Wolff, Michael. ( 2019), Siege: Trump Under Fire, New York:: Henry Holt;.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Wolff, Michael. ( 2021), Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, New York:: Henry Holt;.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Woodward, Bob. ( 2019), Fear: Trump in the White House, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Woodward, Bob. ( 2020), Rage, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. McNally, Karen. ( 2022;), ‘ Nixon, Trump and Washington Behind Closed Doors: Fictionalizing Watergate and the prescience of the historical miniseries. ’, European Journal of American Culture, 41:2, pp. 12746, https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac_00068_1
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ejac_00068_1
Loading
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error