A wave of nostalgic remixes has turned the 37th U.S. president into an unlikely internet sensation, a phenomenon dubbed "Nixonmaxxing" that blends archival footage with modern beats.
From the Orange Bowl to the Meme Feed
The Richard Nixon Foundation’s Instagram channel has been posting stylized videos that pair grainy clips of Nixon with rap soundtracks, recasting the former commander‑in‑chief as a figure of unexpected swagger.
One of the most shared clips shows Nixon at a 1968 college football game, where he watched Alabama defeat Miami 14‑6 at the Orange Bowl, a match that marked the first nationally televised prime‑time college game.
The appearance was not a political gesture but a personal invitation from Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, a Miami banker and longtime Nixon confidant who owned a Key Biscayne retreat that served as a presidential getaway.
Nixon’s fascination with the sport extended to his admiration for coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant, whom he once described as "scaring me to death" because of the coach’s towering reputation.
A later statement after Bryant’s death in 1983 praised the coach as a standard of leadership that would never be equaled, a sentiment that resurfaces in the current meme wave.
Before entering politics, Nixon had played tackle and end for Whittier College, earning a reputation for toughness that contrasted with his later image as a cautious statesman.
His love of the game persisted into the presidency, evident when he attended the 1969 "Game of the Century" between Texas and Arkansas, presenting a championship plaque to the Longhorns.
Nixon also intervened on the sidelines of professional football, offering play suggestions to Washington Redskins coach George Allen and to Miami Dolphins mentor Don Shula before Super Bowl VI.
The cultural crossover is not limited to sports; the former president’s funeral speech for Vince Lombardi, a coaching legend who once worked with former Alabama star Bart Starr, is being rediscovered by fans.
Political rivals such as Spiro Agnew, Hubert Humphrey, Edmund Muskie, George Wallace, and 1972 challenger George McGovern appear in the background of the trend, reminding viewers of the era’s turbulent politics.
Even after his resignation in 1974 and subsequent death in New York City in 1994, the viral remixes keep Nixon’s persona alive, suggesting that the line between governance and pop culture is more porous than once thought.