six decades of U.S. presidential debates By Reuters

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

– 1960: The first televised debate between Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican Vice President Richard Nixon, who was recovering from a hospital visit and had a five o’clock shadow after he refused makeup. The 70 million viewers focused on what they saw, not what they heard. Kennedy won the election.

– 1976: In the first televised debate in 16 years, Democrat Jimmy Carter faced off against unelected Republican incumbent Gerald Ford (NYSE:). In statements that were considered a grave mistake, Ford said: “There is no Soviet hegemony in 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 due to the inclusion of third party candidate John Anderson. President Reagan was accused of planning to cut health care funding for Americans 65 and older. “There you go again,” said Reagan, who had already complained that Carter was skewing his positions on a number of issues and laughed, drawing laughter from the audience and coining a catchphrase. Reagan won the election.

– 1984: Reagan (73 years old) succeeded in defusing the issue of his age when he debated Democrat Walter Mondale (56 years old), saying sarcastically: “I want you to know that I will also not make age an issue in this campaign. I will not take advantage of this matter.” For political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.” Reagan was re-elected.

– 1988: A debate opened against Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush, with Democrat Michael Dukakis being asked whether he supported the death penalty for someone who raped and killed his wife. The question gave the candidate, dubbed by critics, an opportunity to show his emotional side. His hard reaction did just the opposite. Bush won the election.

The vice presidential debate came alive when Dan Quayle, Bush's vice presidential nominee, 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, share the stage. Clinton won the election.

– 1996: In a debate with Clinton, a student asked Republican Bob Dole whether he was 73 too old to understand the needs of young people. He replied that at his age, his intelligence and experience meant he had the advantage of wisdom. Clinton responded: “I can only tell you that I do not think Senator Dole is too old to be president. It is the age of his ideas that I question.” Clinton was re-elected.

– 2000: In his first debate with Republican George W. Bush, Democratic Vice President Al Gore drew criticism for sighing loudly while Bush spoke. “We all make mistakes. I've been known to mix up a clip or two myself,” Bush said during the second debate, deliberately pronouncing the word “clip” wrong. Bush won the election.

– 2004: The final debate between Bush and Democrat John Kerry presented voters with a stark contrast in styles, as Bush stuck to simple arguments while Kerry revealed a host of facts to prove his point. Bush was re-elected.

– 2008: Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain's vice presidential nominee, and Joe Biden, running with Democrat Barack Obama, clashed over the economy and Iraq during a lively but polite vice presidential debate. Palin has often displayed a pop style. At one point, she said, “Oh, say it's not so, Joe,” adding “I'm bothered by that” for good measure. Biden and Palin pledged to make US economic policy friendlier to middle-class workers, but Biden said that McCain described the fundamentals of the economy as strong with the outbreak of the financial crisis. The Obama-Biden ticket won the election.

– 2012: Obama faltered in his first debate with Republican Mitt Romney, which surprised his supporters and caused concern. But in their second debate, Romney, in response to a question about gender pay equity, said he had “dossiers 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:) impersonating Romney. Obama won again.

– 2016: The first debate between businessman Donald Trump and former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attracted 84 million American television viewers, a record number for a debate and a rare number in the era of digital broadcasting. Their second debate was dominated by an exchange of insults, with Clinton attacking Trump for his sexually aggressive remarks about women in a just-revealed 2005 video. Trump sought to deflect criticism by accusing Bill Clinton, the candidate's husband, of doing worse toward women. . In her 2017 book, Clinton wrote that Trump made her skin crawl in their second debate by stalking her on stage, and she wondered if she should tell him to “back off, you creep.” Instead, she said, “I kept my cool, and it helped me deal with difficult men all my life trying to get rid of me.” In the third debate, Trump called Clinton a “very bad woman” and refused to say he would accept the election results. Trump won the election.

– 2020: A decline in the opinion polls. Then-President Trump entered his first debate with Biden, the former Vice President, looking for a fight. But his aggressiveness worked against him. He repeatedly interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace, to the point that the entire event spiraled out of control. He attacked the Biden family. Polls and focus groups conducted afterward showed swing voters turned off by his behavior. At one point, when Trump interrupted, Biden said: “Are you going to shut up, man? That's very unpresidential.” “I believe the country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions. And I implore you, sir, to do that,” Wallace told Trump. Trump responded, referring to Biden, saying: “He, too.” Wallace: “Well, honestly, you've been doing more interrupting.” Trump later withdrew from the second debate after it was switched to a virtual format in the wake of his coronavirus diagnosis. Then he adopted a more conservative tone in the final confrontation with Biden.

In that year's vice presidential debate, a stray fly briefly dominated the US national stage, causing a stir when it perched on Vice President Mike Pence's cropped white hair as he debated his Democratic rival, US Senator Kamala Harris.