New Delhi: American presidential nominees, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, are gearing up to face off in the first presidential debate of 2024 on 27 June.
The debate is happening earlier than usual — both Biden and Trump had called for the first debate to happen early in the campaign. Typically, the first debates are held in September and October, after the Democrats and the Republicans have held their conventions to decide their nominees.
The debates are not constitutionally mandated, but have come to be seen as an integral part of the election process in the US.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonprofit organisation sponsored by both parties, has decided the dates of debates since 1988. In late 2023, the Commission had announced that three dates had been decided — one in September, and two in October. Despite this, the date of the first debate has been pushed forward, and the number of debates have also been reduced to two.
The jury’s still out on whether presidential debates have a significant impact on the election — while experts maintain that most voters know who to vote for, especially in an election as polarised as 2024, a Pew Research Center poll from 2016 found that 63 percent of voters see the debates as somewhat helpful while deciding whose name to put on the ballot.
Typically, these debates are a chance for the presidential candidates to take a break from pre-planned speeches and rallies and give voters a chance to understand them better. This usually involves debating their stances on a range of policy issues — like immigration and economic policy. This year, foreign policy, public safety, and reproductive rights are expected to be top of the list.
However, this first debate is like a rerun of the 2020 presidential debates with the same candidates, only older. While over 73 million people tuned in to watch the first debate between Biden and Trump in 2020, it remains to be seen whether this time it will draw as much viewership, as it’s set earlier in the year and in the middle of summer.
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A perception game
The debates are a chance for candidates to go off-script, and show their personalities. This is why there’s so much preparation that goes into how candidates come across to their voters.
In the first ever televised presidential debate in 1960 — between then-Senator John F. Kennedy and then-Vice President Richard Nixon — Nixon was a nervous, sweaty mess.
The 1960 debates were written off with no clear winner, but Nixon’s performance compared to Kennedy’s was so stark that this set of debates have become the subject of academic study since. And it was also considered the first turning point in the election, in which the more experienced Nixon lost his upper hand to Kennedy.
In the first of four debates, Nixon was wearing almost no makeup and his grey suit blended into the background, making him appear pale and exhausted, while constantly wiping sweat off his face. He had been ill and was recovering from a hospital visit, but the audience didn’t know that. He also kept looking at the clock off-camera, which made him appear shifty-eyed to the audience.
Nixon was quick to correct this impression by the second debate. When Kennedy arrived early to the studio for the second debate, he noticed the temperature had been set lower to help with Nixon’s sweating.
The next presidential debates were held 16 years later in 1976, in which President Gerald Ford — serving the remaining presidential term after Nixon’s resignation — agreed to three debates with Jimmy Carter.
By 1980, the debates were a huge factor. Ronald Reagan, as an actor, had far better screen presence than Carter and came across much better. His performance during the debates is largely seen as the reason behind his landslide success.
President Bush, in 1992, was reluctant to debate against then-Senator Bill Clinton and was branded “chicken” by the press. When he did debate, he was heavily criticised for constantly checking his watch to see how much time was left before the debate ended.
Television drama
Over the last 20 years, the presidential debates have become a huge television spectacle hosted by news channels and moderated by top journalists. 2024’s first debate will be hosted by CNN, moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
The formats of the debates have always been subject to change. The candidates are usually given two minutes to answer each question, after which the opposing candidate gets a minute for rebuttal. And there are no opening remarks, just closing remarks. The general format is that a coin toss determines who answers the first question and who makes their closing remarks first.
In the last few debates, coloured lights like traffic lights have been used to signal time limits to candidates — green indicating 30 seconds, yellow 15 seconds, and red 5 seconds. Buzzers have also been used. The moderator can use their discretion to give candidates more time.
The debates have also led to some iconic moments: President Biden’s famous “will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential,” when interrupted by Trump went viral in 2020.
There have also been plenty of gaffes. In 1976, President Ford insisted that there was no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe — and Carter reacted with straight incredulity. Carter won the election. In 2012, Mitt Romney accidentally said he had “binders full of women” as candidates for a cabinet post, a moment that spawned memes. President Barack Obama was re-elected that year.
Trump following Hilary Clinton onstage during the 2016 election debates is also a moment that not only went viral, but was also seen as deeply unsettling to her as a woman candidate. He also called her “such a nasty woman” during the third debate.
Vice-presidential debates have also had their moments: the housefly that perched on Mike Pence’s head while he debated Kamala Harris in 2020, for example, went wildly viral.
But perhaps the most iconic vice-presidential debate moment was in 1988, spawning an oft-quoted line. Dan Quayle, Bush’s running mate, compared himself to Jack Kennedy to assuage fears about his youth and inexperience.
In a deadpan tone, Lloyd Bentsen replied, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” –
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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