(Reuters) – Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump faced off at a presidential rally on Tuesday ahead of the Nov. 5 election, in a tradition marked by some memorable moments in modern American political history:
– 1960: The first televised debate pitted Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy against Republican Vice President Richard Nixon, who was recovering from a hospital visit and had a 5 o’clock shadow, refusing makeup. 70 million viewers focus on what they see, not what they hear. Kennedy won the election.
– 1976: In the first TV debate in 16 years, Democrat Jimmy Carter faced unelected Republican President Gerald Ford (NYSE: ). In what was considered a major mistake, Ford said: “There is no Soviet rule in Eastern Europe, and there never will be under the Ford administration.” Carter won the election.
– 1980: Carter appeared in a second debate with Republican Ronald Reagan after boycotting the first by including third-party candidate John Anderson. The president accused Reagan of planning to cut Medicare funding for Americans 65 and older. Reagan, who had already complained that Carter was misrepresenting his position on many issues, said: “There they go again” and then laughed, drawing laughter from the audience and coining the phrase. Reagan won the election.
– 1984: Reagan, 73, successfully played down the issue of his age when he opposed Democrat Walter Mondale, 56, mockingly: “I want you to know that I will not make my age an issue in this campaign. I will not exploit. , for political purposes, the youth and the ignorance of my enemies.” Reagan was reelected.
– 1988: A debate against Republican Vice President George HW Bush opened when Democrat Michael Dukakis was asked if he would support the death penalty for a man who raped and killed his wife. The question gave the candidate dubbed the “iceman” by critics a chance to show his emotional side. His harsh reaction did the opposite. Bush won the election.
The vice presidential debate featured Dan Quayle, Bush’s running mate, comparing himself politically to John F. Kennedy. Democrat Lloyd Bentsen replied in a calm, deadpan voice: “Senator, I worked with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was my friend. Senator, you are not Jack Kennedy.”
– 1992: Three candidates – Bush, Democrat Bill Clinton and independent Ross Perot – shared the stage. Clinton won the election.
– 1996: In an interview with Clinton, Republican Bob Dole was asked by a student if he was too old to understand the needs of young people. He replied that his age, wisdom and knowledge meant that he had the advantage of wisdom. Clinton responded: “I can just tell you that I don’t think Senator Dole is too old to be president. It’s the age of his opinions that I’m questioning.” Clinton was reelected.
– 2000: In his first interview with Republican George W. Bush, Democratic Vice President Al Gore drew negative comments by muttering loudly as Bush spoke. “We all make mistakes. I’ve been known to mix up a syllable or two myself,” Bush said during their second debate, mispronouncing “syllable.” Bush won the election.
– 2004: The final debate between Bush and Democrat John Kerry gave voters a stark contrast in styles, with Bush sticking to simple arguments while Kerry trotted out a barrage of facts to make his case. Bush was reelected.
– 2008: Sarah Palin, who became Republican president John McCain, and Joe Biden, who is running against Democrat Barack Obama, clashed over the economy and Iraq during a lively but polite debate for the vice president. Palin often displayed a traditional style. At one point, he said: “Aw, that’s right, Joe,” adding “dog” for good measure. Biden and Palin both vowed to make America’s economic policy better for middle-class workers, but Biden said McCain called for economic fundamentals to be strong as the financial crisis unfolded. The Obama-Biden ticket won the election.
– 2012: Obama stumbles in his first debate with Republican Mitt Romney, surprising and worrying his supporters. But in their second debate Romney, in response to a question about gender pay equity, said he had “full commitment to women” as candidates for cabinet positions. The word has become a meme on social media, with tweets, original artwork and a Facebook (NASDAQ: ) group trolling Romney. Obama won again.
– 2016: The first debate between businessman Donald Trump and former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew 84 million US television viewers, a debate record and a rare number in the digital broadcast era. Insults reigned supreme in their second speech, with Clinton lashing out at Trump for harsh comments about women she made in a newly released 2005 videotape. Trump wanted to deflect criticism by accusing Bill Clinton, the candidate’s husband, of doing worse to women. In her book published in 2017, Clinton wrote that in their second interview Trump made her skin crawl by stalking her on stage and wondered if she should have told him to “back off, you creep.” Instead, he said, “I kept my cool, helped all my life to deal with difficult men who tried to get rid of me.” In the third interview, Trump called Clinton “such a terrible woman” and refused to say that he would accept the results of the election. Trump won the election.
– 2020: Down in the polls, then-President Trump entered his first debate with Biden, the former vice president, looking for a fight. But his rebellion worked against him. He repeatedly interrupted Biden and the president, Chris Wallace, until the whole event got out of hand. He attacked the Biden family. Polls and focus groups conducted afterward showed swing voters were disgusted by his behavior. At one point when Trump interrupted him, Biden said: “Will you shut up, man? This has no president.” Wallace told Trump: “I think the country would be better served if we could allow both people to speak without a few interruptions. I’m asking you, sir, to do that.” Trump, referring to Biden, replied: “Me too.” Wallace: “Well, you’ve obviously been too disruptive.” Trump will later pull out of the second debate after it was switched to virtual status following his COVID-19 diagnosis. He then used a more subdued tone to confront Biden one last time.
At the vice presidential debate, a stray fly briefly commanded the nation’s stage, causing a stir when it perched on Vice President Mike Pence’s heavy white hair while debating his Democratic rival, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris.
– June 27, 2024: President Biden, 81, launched a shaky career, pausing as former President Trump, 78, hit him with a series of mostly false attacks, as the two oldest presidential candidates ever lashed out at each other. Biden’s performance clashed with other Democrats and convinced voters that his abilities had diminished with age. The candidates did not have a live audience, and their microphones were automatically cut off before it was their turn to speak — both rules put in place to avoid the chaos that marred their first debate in 2020, when Trump interrupted Biden repeatedly. The two men – who made no secret of their dislike for each other – did not shake hands or shake hands before or after the debate. On July 21, Biden dropped his bid for re-election under growing pressure from some Democrats and endorsed Vice President Harris as a candidate to face Trump in the November 5 election. Harris, 59, officially accepted the nomination on August 22.
See a Reuters photo slideshow of previous debates.
