*By Max Godnick*
It's become cliché to compare any presidential scandal to Watergate, and it remains to be seen if any of the investigatory threads hanging off the Trump administration will unravel to reveal high crimes and misdemeanors.
Until the special counsel's investigation reaches its conclusion, we have Richard Nixon's Twitter alter-ego to provide historical context in real time, and the faux former president may not take kindly to an association with Trump.
Justin Sherin is the playwright behind the popular Twitter account, [@Dick_Nixon] (https://twitter.com/dick_nixon). He created the handle in 2008 and has been tweeted more than 65,0000 emulations of the 37th president's musings on political and popular culture. The profile has amassed a cult following of more than 45,000 fans, and has found new fodder with each development during Trump's scandal-rich presidency
However, Sherin is quick to point out the differences between the political and legal context surrounding Trump and Nixon.
"President Nixon brought himself down, certainly, but it didn't help him that he had a heavily Democratic Congress," said Sherin in an interview Monday with Cheddar.
Trump, on the other hand, has a Republican majority in the House and Senate, and a vocal, unwavering base of support.
So what would Tricky Dick, if he were alive today, say about Trump?
"I've characterized him calling Trump the culmination of the far-right, in his terms, 'kooks and crazies,' that he spent all of his life battling," said Sherin.
"He always said that the far-right of his party was extremely dangerous, but you needed them to win elections."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-similar-are-richard-nixon-and-donald-trump).
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Republicans eagerly elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker on Wednesday, elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now the political chaos in their majority.
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