Ford had been sworn in just a few days earlier, on August 9, after President Richard Nixon resigned the presidency. In his address Ford pledged to repair relations between what he deemed the “co-equal branches of government,” the legislative and executive, through adherence to the principles of “communication, conciliation, compromise, and cooperation.” He also promised that there would be “no illegal tapings, eavesdropping, bugging, or break-ins by my Administration.” He prioritized his presidential agenda as curbing unemployment and inflation as well as continuing the work of détente with the Soviet Union and China.