Important presidential debate moments from 1976 to 2020

Presidential debates are often known for one or two important moments that get played again and again because they crystallize something about the candidates or the race itself, or they are known for the overall performance of one or the other candidate. As we approach the highly anticipated debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, it may be worth remembering some modern debates and their key moments.

Almost all presidential debate reviews start with the 1960 debate between Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Vice President Richard Nixon. That debate was famous not for any one line but for the visual impact the two candidates made on the public. Kennedy was young, tanned, and rested. Nixon was tired, suffering from a cold, and sporting a five o’clock shadow. People who listened to the debate on the radio thought that Nixon had won. But people who saw it on TV thought that the handsome, youthful Kennedy had won. These conclusions have persisted in spite of evidence to the contrary—thus cementing the importance of the visual aspects of debates.

Sixty-four years later, in June of 2024, another presidential debate was lost on appearances. This time, President Joe Biden, aged 81 and looking every bit his age, turned in a rambling and confusing debate performance, cementing the conventional wisdom that he was too old and had lost a step and was, therefore, unable to prosecute a campaign against Donald Trump. In these two clips, Biden loses his train of thought when discussing health care and abortion, then discusses abortion access and rather oddly pivots to immigrant crime and rape. The debate in 1960 meant a bad night for Nixon, but he almost won the election, while the debate in 2024 was such a disaster for Biden that he ended up dropping out of the race.

Most presidential debates are not so clear cut, but they do result in moments that resonate in one way or another. Gaffes get a lot of attention. President Gerald Ford’s statement that “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe,” was a major gaffe in his debate against Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976.

One liners that capture the moment also get a lot of attention. In the 1980 debate between President Jimmy Carter and Gov. Ronald Reagan (R-Calif.), Reagan succinctly drew attention to the poor economy by asking voters, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

But in 1984, Reagan, then president in his first term, had his own Joe Biden moment in which he seemed to wander off down the California highway in a lengthy and somewhat nonsensical anecdote. The performance illustrated to many that Reagan, then 73 years old and the oldest president in U.S. history at the time, might be slipping. But his response to a question about his age erased any doubts about him. “I want you to know that, also, 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.” The audience, including Mondale and the moderator, burst into laughter. Reagan won in a landslide.

Other debate moments have occurred when the candidate seemed to lack empathy. Among the most famous was Gov. Michael Dukakis’ (D-Mass.) response to a question from the moderator on whether he would support the death penalty for someone who raped and murdered his wife. His response was a terse and bloodless, “No, I don’t, Bernard.” Four years later, then President George H.W. Bush was caught looking at his watch when asked about the pain the recession was causing. He gave the impression that he really would rather be anywhere else.

And then there were the weird non-verbal moments. In the 2000 debate, Vice President Al Gore was heard sighing loudly and shaking his head while his opponent, Gov. George W. Bush (R-Texas) spoke. And in 2016, Trump walked up and loomed behind Hillary Clinton as she answered a question.

Will one of these moments happen in the Trump-Harris debate? A viral moment? In Trump’s 2020 debate against Biden, he interrupted loudly and constantly, causing Biden to, at one point, turn to Trump and say, “Will you shut up man?” The Harris campaign is hoping that a similar Trump will appear. The Trump campaign is hoping they will be able to fluster Harris when they accuse her of flip flopping on issues. Stay tuned.