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Exhibit
The American nation had never faced a presidential election quite like the one in 1976. Gerald Ford, the incumbent, had assumed the presidency in 1974 and had not previously campaigned for the office. This opened the door for fellow Republican Ronald Reagan to challenge Ford's nomination, the first time since 1912 that a sitting Republican president had faced a primary challenge. After a hard-fought primary campaign, Ford eventually won the Republican nomination. However, polls showed Ford trailing his Democratic opponent, Jimmy Carter.
Exhibit
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) will be the largest, most powerful warship the world has ever seen - ten times larger than the USS Langley (CV 1), America's first aircraft carrier. The Ford will define a new class of these capital ships, more dynamic, more capable than any that has sailed before her. Yet the legacy of her predecessors dating back nearly a century can be seen in her lines and courses through her steel.
Exhibit
When Judge John Sirica gaveled the trial of the Watergate seven to order on January 8, 1973, federal investigators had already discovered a covert slush fund used to underwrite nefarious activities against Democrats. The money and the men on trial could be linked to the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP) at whose head sat the former Attorney General of the United States, and President Nixon’s former law partner, John Mitchell. At the trial, E. Howard Hunt, who had planned the break-in, and four of the burglars pleaded guilty. G. Gordon Liddy, who helped in the planning, and James McCord, the other burglar, refused to cooperate, were convicted of various charges, and sentenced to prison.
Exhibit
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Express train display includes many nods to Gerald R. Ford’s life in Grand Rapids, including South High School, Bill’s Place Diner, the Quonset Hut used in his congressional campaign, and a replica of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
Visiting the train is free, but guests will need tickets to visit the galleries.
Exhibit
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum hosts artists for ArtPrize, an annual, international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ArtPrize celebrates artists working in the mediums of visual or experiential art from all over the world.
Museum lobby is free during ArtPrize.
Exhibit
Visitors can explore some of the key moments of Gerald R. Ford’s Presidency through an exhibition of the works of Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist Pat Oliphant.
Exhibit
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. This showcase exhibit uses photographs to provide a moving, intimate, and powerful look at the Vietnam War, capturing how presidents grappled with the reality of war and the American public’s changing responses to the conflict. Visitors can explore this panel exhibit to learn more about the conflict and reflect on its lingering impacts.
Exhibit
Presidential leadership is often defined by decisions made during a crisis, showcasing a President’s personal character, resolve, fortitude, and strength. President Ford faced such a crisis in May 1975, during what he later called one of the “tensest moments” of his Presidency.