US Vice-President JD Vance says the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon would have been a “blip” in today’s news cycle, claiming both Nixon and Donald Trump were targeted by “deep state” forces.

Vance described his admiration for Nixon during a conversation at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California.

Widely expected to be a presidential contender in 2028, the Vice-President spoke at the library while promoting his new book, Communion.

After talking about the book and his faith journey, Vance shifted to Nixon, saying the legacy of the 37th president is “enjoying a bit of a renaissance”.

“If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,” Vance said.

He went on: “If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration.”

Vance then noted his own similarities with Nixon.

“Young senator, vice-president, writes some bestselling books, is hated by the media,” he said.

“It kind of sounds like JD Vance. I’ve always liked Richard Nixon.”

Nixon was in his second term when he resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974.