The most consequential presidential debate moments in modern history
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debate on Sept. 10 on ABC News, and both candidates appear to be open to additional debates after that. While some presidential debates haven't moved the needle in public opinion, others have provided consequential moments that made or broke campaigns.
1960: John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon
The 1960 debate was the first televised presidential debate — and it also showed off the power of an image. The initial debate between Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon "shifted how presidential campaigns were conducted, as the power of television took elections into American's living rooms," said the National Constitution Center (NCC). Kennedy was the "photogenic and energetic young senator," while Nixon had recently been sick and also refused to wear makeup.
As a result, Kennedy "looked and sounded good on television, while Nixon looked pale and tired, with a five o'clock shadow beard." The polls began to shift for Kennedy soon after that — substance of the debate aside — and he would end up narrowly winning the election.
1984: Ronald Reagan vs. Walter Mondale
President Ronald Reagan was reelected in a landslide in 1984, and a key moment in the second presidential debate is often seen as encapsulating this victory.
Questions had been swirling about Reagan's advanced age, something that his opponent, former Vice President Walter Mondale, addressed. I "will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth, and inexperience," Reagan responded. Reagan "got the audience with that," and "I knew he had gotten me there," Mondale said to PBS in 1990.
1992: Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ross Perot
The 1992 election provided a rare debate that included Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and a third party candidate, Ross Perot. This marked the "first time three candidates shared a single stage in a televised debate," said CNN. The second debate of the campaign season also premiered the "town hall" style forum which "directly involved voters in the process by allowing them to pose questions to the candidates."
One most notable moment came when Bush, the sitting president, was "seen on national camera checking his watch," said CNN. Later, when asked a question about the effect of the national debt, Bush said he was "not sure I get it." Clinton would end up winning the election in a landslide.
2000: George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
In another set of debates where the optics mattered, George W. Bush and Al Gore hit the stage ahead of one of the closest elections in American history. This was particularly important as "Vice President Al Gore had been in high-profile debates before, whereas Texas Governor Bush was a relative newcomer known to stumble over his words," said Time.
Gore made a series of flubs during the debates, notably when he was caught "loudly sighing in response to Bush's answers, and he was seen on the screen rolling his eyes and shaking his head in frustration at other points," said Time. In the end, Bush "had surprises in store. And Mr. Gore was undone by impulses he could not control," said The New York Times. Following a Supreme Court interjection, Bush won the electoral college and with it, the election.
2024: Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump
The 2024 debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is perhaps the most consequential in history, as it may have unilaterally caused the sitting president to abandon his reelection bid.
Although Trump lied more than 30 times during the debate, Biden "struggled to mount an effective defense of the economy on his watch and flubbed the description of key health initiatives he's made central to his reelection bid," said Politico, and the "alarm bells for Democrats started ringing the second Biden started speaking." Less than a month later, Biden dropped out of the race. However, one of his advisers, Anita Dunn, still "disputes the notion that Biden's performance was 'catastrophic' for the voters he needed to win over," Politico said.
