--- title: Trump Urges End to Investigations in State of the Union description: President Nixon made a similar argument in his 1974 State of the Union, and resigned less than a year later. canonical: https://time.com/5522285/trump-economy-nixon/ author: Tara Law article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-06T04:19:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:21:51.879Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Used the State of the Union to Call for an End to Investigations. So Did Nixon og:description: "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation" og:url: https://time.com/5522285/trump-economy-nixon/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa890ee68f9fba2/6989449e7cdbac6a09d5f019/trump-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Trump Delivers State Of The Union Address To Joint Session Of Congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Used the State of the Union to Call for an End to Investigations. So Did Nixon twitter:description: "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa890ee68f9fba2/6989449e7cdbac6a09d5f019/trump-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Used the State of the Union to Call for an End to Investigations. So Did Nixon > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d40052a4-8879-499b-8aea-ba4ab88fc4d2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Uses State of the Union to Claim Investigating Him Could Derail the Economy [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Uses State of the Union to Claim Investigating Him Could Derail the Economy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D8ZqKvj6.m3u8) (0:42)  _Published 2019-02-06. President Trump Uses State of the Union to Claim Investigating Him Could Derail the Economy_  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Feb 6, 2019 4:19 AM UTC President Trump Uses State of the Union to Claim Investigating Him Could Derail the Economy  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Feb 6, 2019 4:19 AM UTC President Donald Trump called for the investigations against him to be brought to an end during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Though the President did not mention Robert Mueller by name, even as the special counsel’s probe into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election [continues](http://time.com/5515356/robert-mueller-investigation-timeline-completed/), Trump singled out “ridiculous” and “partisan” investigations, and warned that they could harm the economic “resurgence.” “An economic miracle is taking place in the United States — and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations,” Trump said, per his prepared remarks. “If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn’t work that way! We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad.” Trump was not the first president to call for the end of the investigations during his State of the Union. In 1974, Nixon told Congress, “I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough!” > [](https://twitter.com/cspan/status/958398526760869889) Though he [said](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-state-the-union-delivered-before-joint-session-the-congress) he would cooperate with the Watergate investigation, Nixon argued that the country had other things to worry about that required Washington’s full attention. He resigned from office less than a year later, in August of that year. Trump’s claim that the investigations will directly harm the economy appears to have a mixed basis in history. The economy was in fact weak for the duration of the Watergate era, with stocks losing 42% of their value during the period of the scandal, from January 1973 to August 1974\. However, the period of the scandal also [coincided](http://money.com/money/4783032/nixon-watergate-stocks-trump-comey/) with a global oil shock and spiking inflation. On the other hand, the economy remained strong throughout throughout the [investigation](http://time.com/5120561/bill-clinton-monica-lewinsky-timeline/) of Bill Clinton during the late 1990s. According to Gallup, 71% of Americans said in a January 1999 poll that the period was the “best economy of their lifetime,” [according to Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/poll/4609/presidential-job-approval-bill-clintons-high-ratings-midst.aspx). That scandal did impact the stock market, but it ultimately bounced back. “\[After\] investors concluded that this event would not likely lead to recession,” Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for CFRA, [has said](http://money.com/money/4783032/nixon-watergate-stocks-trump-comey/). “The \[market\] then went on to recover the entire decline and set a new all-time high.” ## Transcript [00:00] If there is going to be peace and legislation, there [00:04] cannot be war and investigation. It [00:09] just doesn't work that way. We [00:14] must be united at home to defeat our adversaries, [00:20] Abroad. This new era of cooperation [00:24] can start with finally confirming the more [00:28] than three hundred highly qualified nominees who [00:32] are still stuck in the senate. In some cases [00:37] years and years waiting, not right. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5522285/trump-economy-nixon/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5522285/trump-economy-nixon/"},"headline":"President Trump Used the State of the Union to Call for an End to Investigations. 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