Six decades of US presidential debates that gripped voters

NEWS WIRES

10 September 2024 at 9:46 am·1-min read

Presidential and vice presidential debates have been the highlight of the US presidential election campaign calendar since John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon faced off in the first televised debate in history in 1960. Over the next six decades, candidates have sparred and argued, often delivering memorable quips and rips.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump face off in a presidential debate on Tuesday ahead of a Nov. 5 election, upholding a tradition marked by some memorable moments of modern U.S. 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, having refused makeup. The 70 million viewers focused on what they saw, not what they heard. Kennedy won the election.

1976:

In the first TV debate in 16 years, Democrat Jimmy Carter faced unelected incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford. In remarks seen as a major blunder, Ford said: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration." Carter won the election.

1980:

In the third debate Trump called Clinton “such a nasty woman” and declined to say he would accept the election results. Trump won the election.

2020:

(Reuters)

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1960:

1976:

1980:

2020:

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