New York: From Gerald Ford’s Soviet Union to the age of Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden’s plea to Donald Trump to “shut up”, the US presidential debates are funny, wild and in between.
Here are some of the most memorable moments from more than 60 years of modern American debate.
It was the first televised debate, when everything was still broadcast in black and white, and established the importance of a politician’s public image. Richard Nixon, a Republican, seemed poised to win the election, having served as vice president twice under Dwight Eisenhower.
But the argument was not good for him. Nixon refused to wear makeup and looked pale and tanned in front of more than 66 million viewers, while John F. Kennedy, a young Senator from Massachusetts, looked relaxed and at ease. While Nixon spoke to the moderator, Kennedy spoke directly to his constituents and looked into the camera.
How many controversial visuals moved the needle is debatable, but Kennedy went on to beat Nixon in the election.
The first debate between Republican President Gerald Ford and Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter was marked by a 27-minute blackout. The second debate didn’t go well for Ford either, when the president made a mistake that would have made him a contender.
Despite the fact that Ford sent troops to the Eastern Bloc of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, “Eastern Europe is not under Soviet rule and never will be under the Ford administration,” he said.
Six days passed without Ford explaining himself, not literally about his military presence, but the spirit of the people there has not been crushed.
Republican President Ronald Reagan was 73 years old when he ran for a second term against 56-year-old Walter Mondale. But he managed to turn his age into his strength with a wise response that went down in history.
“I’m not going to make age an issue in this campaign,” Reagan said when asked if he was qualified for the job. “I will not use the youth and experience of my opponent for political purposes.”
The second presidential debate in the 1992 race pitted incumbent George W. Bush against future successor Bill Clinton against independent candidate Ross Perot.
While addressing the audience at a town hall debate, Clinton looked at her watch and drew a camera, which cost Bush dearly.
Many years later, Bush admitted that he hates fighting. “Maybe that’s why I looked at him like, ’10 more minutes.'”
Republican challenger Mitt Romney, in the fight against President Barack Obama, said the US Navy has fewer ships today than in 1916.
Obama: “Governor, we have fewer horses and fewer bayonets.
“We have things called aircraft carriers, aircraft land on them. We have submarines, nuclear submarines.”
Obama’s speech went viral on the internet.
The second debate of the 2016 US presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was fierce.
Shortly after a video of Trump bragging about how his fame allowed him to grab women went viral, the husband of his Republican billionaire rival, former President Bill Clinton, followed
Trump also said he would investigate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account while she was secretary of state.
“It’s a good thing that someone like Donald Trump is not responsible for the law in our country,” said Clinton.
“Because you’re going to jail,” Trump read back.
The first debate between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election turned into a shouting match and insults.
As Trump repeatedly interrupted, Biden asked, “Are you going to give up, man?”
The Democrat called his opponent a “muddler” and “Putin’s puppy.”
For his part, Trump avoided the question of whether he would recognize the results of the election.
Fox News reporter Chris Wallace, manager of the two candidates’ uncontrolled debate, later expressed his feelings of “disappointment”.
US presidential debates over the years: gaffes, chaos, scandals
