Gen Z is getting hyped up by the most unlikely of California locations

Thanks to a viral marketing campaign based out of California called “Nixonmaxxing,” former President Richard Nixon is cool now — and surprisingly, that might actually be a good thing. Look, let’s be real — it is totally bizarre that the president who gave us the Watergate scandal and notoriously resigned in disgrace is suddenly the toast of Instagram.But — in this age of social media brainrot — if young people find themselves inspired to learn more about history and all its tangled complexities, then I’m all for it.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.To return to square one — Richard Nixon was never cool, not even when he was president.He was so uncool, during the first televised presidential debate in 1960 with JFK, that his sweaty mug famously lost him the razor-thin election. After he lost the 1962 California gubernatorial race, seemingly dooming his political career, he said, “You won’t have old Nixon to kick around anymore.”Eeyore much?Now Nixon has the kicks.

Or as the young people say, “aura.” “Tricky Dick” is making inroads with Gen Z through wildly popular videos of the 37th president’s speeches set to hip hop tracks — and a sick merch game. This is “Nixonmaxxing.” It’s an ingenious marketing campaign by the Nixon Foundation, the Yorba Linda, California-based nonprofit that jointly administers the Nixon Library and Museum alongside the National Archives and Records Administration, the federal agency that operates most presidential libraries.The vanguard of the campaign is a souvenir ballcap labeled with the chin-scratching term, which plays into the “looksmaxxing” trend. (The hat has sold out multiple times). And their account’s top video has cracked 1.4 million views. Even Vice President JD Vance has...