Gerald Ford Inauguration
Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States after the resignation of President Nixon.
President Ford’s Inaugural Address:
[Oath of Office administered by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger]
Mr. Chief Justice, my dear friends, my fellow Americans:
The oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every President under the Constitution. But I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.
Therefore, I feel it is my first duty to make an unprecedented compact with my countrymen. Not an inaugural address, not a fireside chat, not a campaign speech — just a little straight talk among friends. And I intend it to be the first of many.
I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many. If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman — my dear wife — as I begin this very difficult job.
I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it. Those who nominated and confirmed me as Vice President were my friends and are my friends. They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under the Constitution in their name. It is only fitting then that I should pledge to them and to you that I will be the President of all the people.
Thomas Jefferson said the people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. And down the years, Abraham Lincoln renewed this American article of faith asking, “Is there any better way or equal hope in the world?”
I intend, on Monday next, to request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate the privilege of appearing before the Congress to share with my former colleagues and with you, the American people, my views on the priority business of the Nation and to solicit your views and their views. And may I say to the Speaker and the others, if I could meet with you right after these remarks, I would appreciate it.
Even though this is late in an election year, there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people’s urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together.
To the peoples and the governments of all friendly nations, and I hope that could encompass the whole world, I pledge an uninterrupted and sincere search for peace. America will remain strong and united, but its strength will remain dedicated to the safety and sanity of the entire family of man, as well as to our own precious freedom. I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself. That bond, though stained, is unbroken at home and abroad.
In all my public and private acts as your President, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.
My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.
Our Constitution works. Our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy. As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate, more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars, let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate.
In the beginning, I asked you to pray for me. Before closing, I ask again your prayers, for Richard Nixon and for his family. May our former President, who brought peace to millions, find it for himself. May God bless and comfort his wonderful wife and daughters, whose love and loyalty will forever be a shining legacy to all who bear the lonely burdens of the White House. I can only guess at those burdens, although I have witnessed at close hand the tragedies that befell three Presidents and the lesser trials of others.
With all the strength and all the good sense I have gained from life, with all the confidence of my family, my friends, and my dedicated staff impart to me, and with the good will of countless Americans I have encountered in recent visits to 40 States, I now solemnly reaffirm my promise I made to you last December 6: To uphold the Constitution; to do what is right as God gives me to see the right; and to do the very best I can for America.
God helping me, I will not let you down.
Thank you.
Duration : 0:9:47
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Gerald Ford was a …
Gerald Ford was a great man, probably would’ve been a good president too if he wouldn’t have gotten beaten in the 1976 election.
true but he is the …
true but he is the most friendly president, I would love to hang out with this man if I could
Gerald Ford was …
Gerald Ford was such a great president, I don’t think he should have been voted out he should have gotten a second term.
06:50 infamous line …
06:50 infamous line from the entire inaugurale address “Our long national nightmare is over.”
A long time White …
A long time White House insider, and Presidential advisor said out of all the Presidents from Nixon, Ford was absolutely the most normal. In a meeting regarding a high profile issue
Ford: “Forget about the political cost, what’s the right thing to do?”. Alot of ppl at that meeting were very surprised.
He also said prob bc Ford never sought Office, and therefore didn’t have a pathological, diabolical personality (which is needed to go for that office)
The main reason why …
The main reason why Ford lost in ‘76 is that he was associated with the Nixon administration.
God how we need a …
God how we need a Gerald Ford in White House!!!!
he may not have …
he may not have been the best president, but i do respect him. he seemed like a genuinely nice person and had america’a best interests at heart unlike typical politicians.
Nice guy BUT, like …
Nice guy BUT, like Lyndon B Johnson commented upoon Ford’s abilties….”he played football way to often without a helmet!”
he was a president …
he was a president that even if you disagreed with him you at least respected him
God Bless this man!
God Bless this man!
I am indebted to no …
I am indebted to no man and only 1 woman, my dear wife!
Our long National Nightmare is over…our Constitution works, our great republic is government of laws and no of man, here the people rule.
A great President who did much to heal and restore honour to the Presidency
i met fords kids at …
i met fords kids at the viewing of the body i was so confused at what i saw seeing the coffin fords family smiled at me and hugged me saying thanks for coming im sure he would have apperciated your visit i wasnt born till 1977 i guess i missed out seeing a good president rest in peace ford
maybe it’s not my …
maybe it’s not my job to comment as I am neither an US citizen nor already born in that era. But Ford, along with Truman and Coolidge, is my favourite US President. I always dislided “celebrity” politicians regardless of their party or so and prefered humble, down-to-earth, professional civil servants.
War is war friend.. …
War is war friend………….and the atomic bombs in Japan showed the world we had them and prevented a was with the Soviets and the Chinese. As far as I am concerned the blood of the civilians rests with Hirohito and Yamamoto, not Truman.
@bigjoetube Pearl …
@bigjoetube Pearl Harbor was a military base, a legitimate target in wartime. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were cities, packed full with civilians.
With all due …
With all due respect to you, if there is any due, I believe people like Douglas MacArthur over you. MacArthur said that there would be one million casualties, dead or injured, on the American side. And as sad as the atomic bombings were, if they saved ONE AMERICAN SOLDIER FROM BEING KILLED, then they were a necessary poart to end the worst war in Earth’s history. Why dont you show a little more sympathy for the victims of Pearl Harbor then for Japan?
Weak line of …
Weak line of argument buddy, arguing what “would have” happened if this or that did/didn’t happen, no one can predict this kind of thing. And even if you are right, it doesn’t change Truman being a war criminal. Sorry.
You are sick in the …
You are sick in the head. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved many more lives then a ground war would have. I am glad Truman was president in ‘45 instead of you.
You can have your …
You can have your view on Ford. I don’t care about that. I hope you know that japan would of done the same to us. Pretty much all japan’s citizens wanted us dead. Did you know what they did to our POW”S. Now I’m not saying all of Japan was evil, but a lot were messed up sick people who hated us.
So you would sit on …
So you would sit on the sidelines while countless American troops were being killed fighting in Japan? We needed to end the war, and the bomb ended it fast.
@BusterBunker Ford …
@BusterBunker Ford pardoned a corrupt politician and Truman nuked two cites full of civilians and is thus a war criminal by any standard. You should be ashamed of yourself for writing crap like that.
Ford was a man of …
Ford was a man of integrity, Loyal husband and so much more, Him and Truman were great presidents. And carter was not racist whoever said that, although I don’t agree with some of his policies, he is also a good man
Carter never …
Carter never endorsed Wallace. You have it backwards, Wallace endorsed Carter in ‘76 and claimed that he facilitated a Southerner’s nomination. You seem more like a flaming marxist than a liberal, or just plain ignorant.
Carter endorsed …
Carter endorsed George Wallace when he ran for President. It was only after segregation became outlawed nationally that he got the picture and saw where history was and decided to be a good boy. Even so, I am a flaming liberal who still preferred Ford over Carter.