Gerald Ford had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, became the first President to succeed the first President ever to resign. When the presidency was forced upon him, Ford faced difficult circumstances: there were the challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace. Ford may be known as one of the veto kings as president: he vetoed a number of non-military appropriations bills that would have further increased the already heavy budgetary deficit and during his first 14 months as President he vetoed 39 bills, and most were sustained. The major foreign affairs objective was preventing a new war in the Middle East, and Ford accomplished this by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. Although Ford lost the next election, his progress was respected and appreciated by all Americans, even his opponent. On Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land."