Six decades of presidential debates in the United States By Reuters

(Reuters) – Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump plan to face each other in a presidential debate on June 27 and another on September 10 before the November 5 election, part of a tradition marked by some of the moments most memorable. of modern American political history:

– 1960: The first televised debate pitted Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy against Republican Vice President Richard Nixon, who was recovering from a hospital visit and had a 5 o'clock shadow after refusing to put on makeup. The 70 million viewers focused on what they saw, not what they heard. Kennedy won the election.

– 1976: In the first television debate in 16 years, Democrat Jimmy Carter faced unelected Republican incumbent Gerald Ford (NYSE:). In comments considered a big mistake, Ford said: “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.” Carter won the election.

– 1980: Carter appeared in a second debate with Republican Ronald Reagan after boycotting the first for including third-party candidate John Anderson. The president accused Reagan of planning to cut Medicare health care funding for Americans age 65 and older. Reagan, who had already complained that Carter was misrepresenting his positions on a number of issues, said, “There you go again” and chuckled, drawing laughter from the audience and coining a catchphrase. Reagan won the election.

– 1984: Reagan, 73, managed to defuse the question of his age when he debated Democrat Walter Mondale, 56, joking: “I want you to know that I won't make age an issue in this campaign either. I'm not going to explode , for political purposes, the youth and inexperience of my opponent. Reagan was re-elected.

– 1988: A debate was opened against Republican Vice President George HW Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis was asked if he would be in favor of the death penalty for someone who raped and murdered his wife. The question offered a candidate dubbed by critics “the Iceman” a chance to show the emotional side of him. His laborious response did just the opposite. Bush won the election.

The vice presidential debate came to life when Dan Quayle, Bush's running mate, compared himself politically to John F. Kennedy. Democrat Lloyd Bentsen responded in a calm, deadly tone: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. 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 a debate with Clinton, a student asked Republican Bob Dole if, at 73, he was too old to understand the needs of young people. He responded that at his age, his intelligence and experience meant that he had the advantage of wisdom. Clinton replied: “I can only tell you that I don't think Senator Dole is too old to be president. What I question is the age of his ideas.” Clinton was re-elected.

– 2000: In his first debate with Republican George W. Bush, Democratic Vice President Al Gore received negative criticism for sighing loudly while Bush spoke. “We all make mistakes. I've been known to mangled a syllable or two,” Bush said during their second debate, deliberately mispronouncing “syllable.” Bush won the election.

– 2004: The final debate between Bush and Democrat John Kerry offered voters a stark contrast in styles: Bush stuck to simple arguments while Kerry revealed a series of facts to make his case. Bush was re-elected.

– 2008: Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain's running mate, and Joe Biden, running against Democrat Barack Obama, clashed over the economy and Iraq during a lively but polite vice presidential debate. Palin often displayed a folksy style. At one point, she said, “Oh, say it isn't like that, Joe,” and added a “fucking” for good measure. Both Biden and Palin promised to make U.S. economic policy more friendly to middle-class workers, but Biden said McCain had called the economy's fundamentals strong when the financial crisis hit. The Obama-Biden formula won the elections.

– 2012: Obama stumbled in his first debate with Republican Mitt Romney, surprising and worrying his followers. But in his second debate, Romney, responding to a question about gender pay equity, said he had “binders full of women” as candidates for Cabinet positions. The phrase became a meme on social media, with tweets, original artwork, and a facebook group (NASDAQ:) mocking Romney. Obama won again.

– 2016: The first debate between businessman Donald Trump and former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attracted 84 million viewers on American television, a record for a debate and a rare figure in the era of digital streaming. An exchange of insults dominated her second debate, with Clinton criticizing Trump for sexually aggressive comments about women she made on a newly discovered 2005 videotape. Trump tried to deflect criticism by accusing Bill Clinton, the candidate's husband, of having done worse things to women. In her book published in 2017, Clinton wrote that at her second debate Trump gave her goosebumps by stalking her across the stage and she wondered if he should have told her to “back up, you creep.” Instead, he said, “I stayed calm, helped by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men who tried to throw me off.” In the third debate, Trump called Clinton “such a nasty woman” and refused to say she would accept the election results. Trump won the election.

– 2020: In opinion polls, then-President Trump arrived at his first debate with Biden, the former vice president, looking for a fight. But his belligerence worked against him. He repeatedly interrupted Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, to the point that the entire event spiraled out of control. He attacked Biden's family. Subsequent polls and focus groups showed that undecided voters were repulsed by his behavior. At one point when Trump was interrupting him, Biden said, “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential.” Wallace told Trump: “I think the country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions. I ask you, sir, to do that.” Trump, referring to Biden, responded: “And so does he.” Wallace: “Well, frankly, you've been interrupting more.” Trump would later leave the second debate after it was switched to a virtual format in the wake of his COVID-19 diagnosis. He then adopted a more measured tone for the final showdown with Biden.

At that year's vice presidential debate, a stray housefly briefly dominated the U.S. national stage, creating a stir when it landed on Vice President Mike Pence's short white hair while he debated his Democratic rival, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris.