Republican Populist Roots

Published: July 21, 2020, 1:25 p.m.

When Spiro Agnew, faced with prosecution for bribes dating back to his days as Baltimore County Executive, resigned the vice presidency in 1973 -- it seemed the glaring end of his political influence. But the book, "Republican Populist: Spiro Agnew and the Origins of Donald Trump’s America," contends Agnew did create a political legacy, and we see it today in Donald Trump’s America. Authors Zach Messitte and Chuck Holden write that Agnew excelled as Nixon’s emissary to the Silent Majority.