Presidential debates have shaped several campaigns, including the very recent historic poor performance by President Joe Biden against former President Donald Trump. Debates can reveal much about candidates that was previously concealed, and give voters an indication of how genuine or out-of-touch the candidates are.
As Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump prepare for their presidential debate, some historical moments jump out and could give insight to what viewers can expect.
Most recently, Biden’s stuttering and bewildered debate performance against Trump ended his campaign, despite weeks of protesting that he was intent on continuing. Biden misspoke several times, sounded hoarse from a recent battle with a cold, and lost his train of thought just 12 minutes into the debate.
Biden claimed that “we finally beat Medicare,” when attempting to describe his administration’s efforts to lower drug costs for the program. Biden’s team cited his illness, jetlag, and said he was over-prepared to justify the fiasco.
President Ronald Reagan had a troubling first debate with challenger Walter Mondale. Mondale was twenty years younger, and Reagan was frequently considered too old for the office. During a question about their relative ages, Reagan quipped that he wouldn’t exploit his opponents’ youth and inexperience. The audience laughed, and the joke even got Mondale cracking up on camera.
During the 1976 cycle, Republican President Gerald Ford and Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter had a moment that set up the victory for Carter. Ford claimed that the Soviets wouldn’t dominate Eastern Europe when they controlled many of the countries there at the time. The media interrogated the claim and Ford found himself in hot water for weeks thereafter. He lost the election shortly thereafter.
University of Michigan’s debate director Aaron Kall told the corporate press that the closer the election, the more impactful debate zingers.
Vice President Kamala Harris was previously devastated by former Hawaiian Representative Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard slammed Harris on her record of incarcerating Californians for marijuana crimes and other poor policy decisions while she was the state attorney general.
