This paper investigates how the Nixon administration framed the 1970 Kent State shootings, portraying student protestors as the perpetrators. This strategy aimed to preserve America’s Cold War reputation and strengthen President Nixon’s domestic image. The shootings occurred during an anti-war demonstration on Kent State University’s campus, protesting Nixon’s Cambodian invasion and America’s role in the Vietnam War. Members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire, killing four protestors. In the aftermath, the Nixon administration, aided by the Kent State administration, deliberately shifted the blame to the protestors. Drawing on public statements, media responses, and official government investigations, this study argues that the administration cultivated a narrative that equated student dissent with being unpatriotic. Concurrently, law enforcement and soldiers were elevated as symbols of American virtue. This rhetoric is situated within two key contexts: the broader Cold War push to present the US as a model democracy, and the political need to appeal to American voters ahead of the 1972 election. This paper reveals how Nixon, Kent State authorities, and government organizations manipulated public perception of the shootings, directly influencing domestic and international politics. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates Nixon’s administration successfully deflected blame for Kent State, consolidating his power amidst national division. This study is expected to contribute to scholarship by clarifying how the government managed public perception and avoided accountability after the shootings.