As I peruse the numerous news networks, it feels as if October 1973 has miraculously reappeared. The President of the United States is trying to end a Middle East conflict, but must deal with the repercussions of an “enemies’ list.” Despite having a reasonably stable economy, the President manages to provoke a domestic and foreign policy crisis.

No, that president is not Donald Trump. It is Richard Nixon. But the parallel problems are similar, though not exactly the same. Karl Marx once quipped, comparing Napoleon the Third with his uncle’s enterprise to seize power in France, that “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, and the second as a farce.” But there are comparisons; fortunately for Trump, they are not as grave.

Nixon’s situation was more serious because a special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, was dealing with the Watergate affair and was pressing him for the tape recordings from the White House. After Cox insisted on the tapes and not just transcriptions, Nixon decided to fire him. This set off a chain of events known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” on October 20, 1973.

First, Nixon ordered his Attorney General, Elliott Richardson, to fire Cox; Richardson resigned instead of executing the order. Next, RN tried to persuade William Ruckelshaus, the deputy AG; he resigned as well. This left the Solicitor General, Robert Bork, who finally did comply.

It was messy, and Robert Byrd of West Virginia denounced Nixon’s methods as “Gestapo tactics”. Moreover, Nixon was in the middle of a crisis. Egypt and Syria were at war with Israel, and the United States was seeking a ceasefire. Again, there are some similarities with Trump, but smaller in consequence. His Attorney General, Pam Bondi, sought to have a grand jury indict James Comey, the former FBI chief, and Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York. But her problem was that she found no one wanted to try the cases, and as a result, they were fired. She did find one who complied with her request.

Whether or not Trump will suffer the same political damage inflicted on Nixon is still to be determined. Probably no harm will come. It is a mini version of what happened 52 years ago. The recrimination campaign waged by Trump is a sideshow compared to Nixon’s, yet it serves as a distraction. Even the government shut down, and the lingering Jeffrey Epstein affair could be serious if there are any more surprises.

Nixon had more horrors that month because he bailed out Israel, he was hit with an Arab oil embargo on the United States, which allowed prices to rise. This happened on the same night of the firings. As happened with Nixon, all of Trump’s problems obscure his foreign policy breakthroughs. Retribution led to Nixon’s downfall. Trump might not be as hurt, but it could slow his momentum.