When President Ford pardoned Nixon, there was, as you can imagine, a howl of protest from every direction, with some people suggesting that this was the deal that got Ford appointed to the Vice Presidency to begin with (and who knows, that might actually have been the case).
However, as time has passed, many people (including at least some Democrats) have acknowledged that this was the right thing to do. Nixon was a crook, and everyone knew that. By giving him a pardon, Ford was acknowledging this, and by accepting it, Nixon was admitting to it as well.
By giving him the pardon, it allowed the country to move on and not get stuck in the constant circus that a trial would have brought, and it avoided making a bad situation even worse.
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(TITLE FROM REDDIT r/HistoryMemes)
However, as time has passed, many people (including at least some Democrats) have acknowledged that this was the right thing to do. Nixon was a crook, and everyone knew that. By giving him a pardon, Ford was acknowledging this, and by accepting it, Nixon was admitting to it as well.
By giving him the pardon, it allowed the country to move on and not get stuck in the constant circus that a trial would have brought, and it avoided making a bad situation even worse.