{"id":2283716,"date":"2024-06-26T06:37:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-memorable-presidential-debate-moments-in-us-history-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T06:43:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:43:28","slug":"the-most-memorable-presidential-debate-moments-in-us-history-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-memorable-presidential-debate-moments-in-us-history-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"The most memorable presidential debate moments in US history &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-most-memorable-presidential-debate-moments-in-us-history-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2283716&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary provided above captures historic presidential debate moments that have potentially influenced election outcomes in the UWW noted examples\u2064 from \u200cGerald Ford&#8217;s 1976 misstatement about Soviet influence in Eastern Europe, \u200bRonald Reagan&#8217;s memorable quips from debates in 1980 and 1984, George\u2063 H.W. Bush&#8217;s\u2062 perceived disinterest symbolized by checking his watch \u200bin 1992, Al Gore&#8217;s detrimental sighs and repeated mention of a &#8220;lockbox&#8221; in 2000,\u2064 to Mitt \u200dRomney&#8217;s incorrect \u200cfact-check by moderator Candy Crowley in 2012. These \u200dmoments underscore how presidential debates can be pivotal, with single gaffes or standout responses possibly\u200d swaying public opinion and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-group-one-nation-is-spending-70-million-to-defeat-vulnerable-democrat-senators-in-5-states\/\" title=\"One Nation, a conservative group, invests  million to unseat vulnerable Democratic senators in 5 states\">impacting election results<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a> and former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> are slated to square off in a debate on Thursday, which could include a standout moment for one of the men if history repeats itself.<\/p>\n<p>Since the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/neil-patel-the-misinformation-police-are-coming-for-you\/\" title=\"Neil Patel: The Misinformation Police Are Coming for You\">televised presidential debate<\/a> in 1960, the bright lights of a national viewing audience have seen some candidates rise and others fall. Here are some of the most memorable moments from presidential debates over the years.<\/p>\n<h2>1976 \u2013 Gerald Ford \u2018eastern Europe\u2019 gaffe<\/h2>\n<p>As then-President Gerald Ford was seeking to win a full term in the White House, after being thrust to the Oval Office through a pair of resignations, one of the most memorable moments in his ultimately unsuccessful presidential campaign came during a debate with then-former Democratic Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter.<\/p>\n<p>While discussing foreign policy, Ford <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PfyL4uQVJLw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"declared\">declared<\/a> that there was \u201cno Soviet domination of Eastern Europe\u201d \u2014 even as the Soviet Union held significant influence over the region at the time through the Warsaw Pact. The Helsinki Accords signed the previous year were criticized by some as having solidified the post-World War II borders and the Soviet\u2019s \u201ciron curtain\u201d over eastern Europe, but Ford rejected the notion that the Soviets dominated that part of the continent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, what has been accomplished by the Helsinki agreement? Number one, we have an agreement where they notify us and we notify them of any military maneuvers that are to be undertaken. They have done it in both cases where they\u2019ve done so. There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n<p>Debate moderator Max Frankel followed up by questioning Ford on if he believed the \u201cRussians are not using Eastern Europe as their own sphere of influence in occupying most of the countries there and making sure with their troops that it\u2019s a Communist zone.\u201d Ford doubled down by contending he did not believe the Yugoslavs, Romanians, or Poles would consider themselves under Soviet domination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach of those countries is independent, autonomous; it has its own territorial integrity. And the United States does not concede that those countries are under the domination of the Soviet Union,\u201d Ford said, \u201cAs a matter of fact, I visited Poland, Yugoslavia and Romania to make certain that the people of those countries understood that the President of the United States and the people of the United States are dedicated to their independence, their autonomy and their freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FILE \u2013 President Gerald Ford, right, speaks as Jimmy Carter listens during the first of three televised debates on Sept. 23, 1976, in Philadelphia. Presidential debates didn\u2019t become a recurring event until 1976 when the League of Women Voters began sponsoring them. (AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ford\u2019s read on the situation in eastern Europe with the Soviets, specifically with regard to naming Poland as a country he did believe was under their domination, was panned and he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1976\/10\/09\/archives\/ford-makes-2-attempts-to-clarify-statement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"attempted\">attempted<\/a> to clarify after the debate that he meant they do not believe they will be \u201cforever dominated\u2014if they are\u2014by the Soviet Union.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter slammed Ford\u2019s remarks, arguing it was \u201cridiculous\u201d for Ford to have made that assertion during the debate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor anyone to state that the people of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Rumania and East Germany are free of Soviet domination is ridiculous,\u201d Carter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1976\/10\/08\/archives\/carter-assails-ford-on-serious-blunder-says-debate-remark-on.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a> after the debate, according to the <em>New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Ford would go on to lose the election to Carter in the general election, but four years later Carter would see a memorable debate moment work against him.<\/p>\n<h2>1980 \u2013 Ronald Reagan\u2019s \u201cthere you go again\u201d <\/h2>\n<p>Former Republican California Gov. Ronald Reagan failed to win the GOP nomination in 1976, but in 1980 the former movie star made it to the general election against then-President Carter. During the only debate between the two, Reagan used one now-famous line to defuse an attack from the Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n<p>Carter went after Reagan for his previous stances on Social Security and Medicare, accusing the former governor of beginning \u201chis political career campaigning around this nation against Medicare.\u201d Reagan\u2019s response began with the most memorable line of the debate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere you go again,\u201d Reagan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qN7gDRjTNf4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a>, eliciting laughter from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>The line would become the iconic moment of the debate, lending to the lore of Reagan\u2019s nickname: the great communicator.<\/p>\n<p>Reagan would win the election against Carter in a landslide, winning 44 states in the lopsided result.<\/p>\n<h2>1984 \u2013 Ronald Reagan\u2019s age rebuttal<\/h2>\n<p>Then-President Reagan entered the second debate against former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale bruised after their first meeting. During their first debate, Reagan, 73, had gaffes and appeared confused at times \u2013 bringing up questions about his age as a potential vulnerability in his bid for a second term.<\/p>\n<p>Debate moderator Henry Trewhitt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0RtXmnUe9s0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"asked\">asked<\/a> Reagan about the age concerns, saying how it had been \u201clurking out there for 2 or 3 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Walter Mondale, at right, looks towards President Ronald Reagan as the president speaks during the debates on Sunday, Oct. 22, 1984 in Kansas City. In the center is debate moderator, Edwin Newman with back to camera. (AP Photo\/David Longstreath)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou already are the oldest president in history. And some of your staff say you were tired after your most recent encounter with Mr. Mondale. I recall yet that President Kennedy had to go for days on end with very little sleep during the Cuban missile crisis. Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances?\u201d Trewhitt asked Reagan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot at all, Mr. Trewhitt, and 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\u2019s youth and inexperience,\u201d Reagan replied. <\/p>\n<p>Reagan\u2019s witty response garnered laughter from the audience and Mondale, 56, and the president was widely viewed as having won the debate. When recounting the second debate in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/spc\/debatingourdestiny\/interviews\/mondale.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"interview\">interview<\/a> with PBS in 1990, Mondale remarked \u201cI walked off and I was almost certain the campaign was over, and it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reagan won in a larger landslide than his 1980 victory, winning everywhere except in Washington, D.C., and Minnesota.<\/p>\n<h2>1992 \u2013 Bush\u2019s untimely gesture<\/h2>\n<p>Then-President George H.W. Bush faced two challengers in the 1992 general election \u2013 independent businessman Ross Perot and Democratic then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. In debates, small actions can have disproportionate reactions, as Bush would learn.<\/p>\n<p>During the second debate between the trio, Bush appeared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hBrW2Pz9Iiw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"check his watch\">check his watch<\/a> multiple times in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-takeaways-from-trumps-town-hall-with-appreciative-iowa-audience\/\" title=\"5 Takeaways From Trump\u2019s Town Hall With Appreciative Iowa Audience\">town hall-style forum<\/a>. The small actions by Bush were believed to have hurt him, as appearing disinterested in the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Bush would later be asked about his actions, in a 1999 interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/spc\/debatingourdestiny\/interviews\/bush.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"with\">with<\/a> PBS, where he said he was not \u201ctoo conscious of it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, right, argues a point as Independent candidate Ross Perot, center, and Republican candidate President George Bush, looking down, listen during the second presidential debate at the University of Richmond, Va., Thursday night, Oct. 15, 1992. (AP Photo\/Doug Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOh God, do I remember. I took a huge hit. That\u2019s another thing I don\u2019t like debates, you look at your watch and they say that he hasn\u2019t any business running for president. He\u2019s bored and he\u2019s out of this thing, he\u2019s not with it and we need change,\u201d Bush told PBS.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey took a little incident like that to show that I was, you know, out of it. They made a huge thing out of that. Now, was I glad when the damn thing was over? Yeah, and maybe that\u2019s why I was looking at it, only 10 more minutes of this crap,\u201d he added, continuing a discussion on how he disliked the presidential debates.<\/p>\n<p>Bush would lose reelection to Clinton, while Perot would not win any states but did significantly cut into Bush\u2019s vote totals.<\/p>\n<h2>2000 \u2013 Gore\u2019s lockbox talk and sighing<\/h2>\n<p>During the first presidential debate in 2000, then-Vice President Al Gore walked in leading then-Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush but he left the debate in worse standing.<\/p>\n<p>Gore did not have any obvious flubs during the debate which hurt him, but his constant sighs and rolling of eyes while Bush was answering questions and his overuse of the term \u201clockbox\u201d to discuss how he would protect Medicare, became satirized and hurt him.<\/p>\n<p>During the first question of the debate, Gore proclaimed that he would \u201cput Medicare and Social Security in a lockbox and protect them.\u201d The line had been one Gore had touted, but he would repeat phrase six additional times throughout the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Gore\u2019s performance was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zDgRRVpemLo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"mocked\">mocked<\/a> on NBC\u2019s <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> that week, with the then<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-video-links-biden-to-ukrainian-corruption-burisma-indictment-reveals-ex-president-yanukovich-illegally-obtained-7-4-billion-laundered-thru-fund-close-to-us-democratic-party\/\" title=\"New Video Links Biden to Ukrainian Corruption \u2013 Burisma Indictment Reveals Ex-President Yanukovich Illegally Obtained .4 Billion Laundered Thru Fund \u201cClose to US Democratic Party\u201d\">-vice president<\/a>, played by Darrell Hammond, constantly using \u201clockbox\u201d and overdramatically reacting to the Bush character\u2019s answers.<\/p>\n<p>Bush would go on to win the election against Gore, in a tight race that came down to Florida.<\/p>\n<h2>2012 \u2013 Romney gets incorrectly fact-checked<\/h2>\n<p>Debate moderators typically stay out of the conversation between candidates, but in 2012 CNN\u2019s Candy Crowley fact-checked former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on a statement he had made about then-President Barack Obama and Benghazi \u2013 only the fact check was incorrect.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange began with Obama proclaiming that he had called the Benghazi terrorist attack an act of terror in the immediate aftermath, but Romney claimed the then-president had not.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Moderator Candy Crowley, center, applauds as President Barack Obama, right, shakes hands with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the second presidential debate at Hofstra University, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Hempstead, N.Y. (AP Photo\/Pool-Michael Reynolds)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe day after the attack, Governor, I stood in the Rose Garden, and I told the American people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror. And I also said that we\u2019re going to hunt down those who committed this crime,\u201d Obama said, in part.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to make sure we get that for the record, because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror,\u201d Romney said in his response to Obama, with Obama interrupting to say \u201cget the transcript.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crowley then interrupted to say that \u201che did call it an act of terror.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Obama White House officials did not directly refer to the attack as an act of terror until two weeks later. Obama\u2019s Rose Garden remarks a day after the attack did say \u201cno acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for,\u201d but he did not directly refer to the incident as an act of terror.<\/p>\n<p>Crowley told CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/772236\/debate-moderator-candy-crowley-romney-was-right-in-main-libya-argument-but-he-picked-the-wrong-word\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"after\">after<\/a> the debate that Romney was actually correct and that \u201che was right in the main, I just think he picked the wrong word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Obama would go on to win a second term in the White House that November, defeating Romney.<\/p>\n<h2>2016 \u2013 Trump\u2019s responses to Clinton<\/h2>\n<p>Republican nominee Donald Trump was the underdog in the 2016 presidential election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but some memorable moments from the debates helped boost the businessman to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most memorable moments between Trump and Clinton from the trio of debates came in the second matchup. Clinton remarked that she was glad someone like Trump was not in charge of the law in the country, leading Trump to land a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Hbh2qXBMjuY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"famous\">famous<\/a> one-liner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country,\u201d Clinton said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you\u2019d be in jail,\u201d Trump replied.<\/p>\n<p>During the third debate, Trump\u2019s use of the word \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IEExFW-BnfE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"wrong\">wrong<\/a>\u201d to push back on Clinton\u2019s claim sparked memes and landed the businessman a memorable moment voters could remember.<\/p>\n<p>Trump would upset Clinton in the 2016 election weeks later, but would lose to Biden in the 2020 election. Eight years after the 2016 campaign, Trump is seeking a second term in a rematch against Biden. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first presidential debate of the 2024 cycle between Biden and Trump will begin at 9 p.m. EDT from Atlanta, Georgia, and will air on CNN along with various other networks and cable channels.<\/p>\n<p>Biden and Trump have agreed to a second presidential debate in September, which will be hosted by ABC News. Both debates mark some of the earliest in modern history.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to debate on Thursday. Historically, such debates have been pivotal, with some candidates gaining significant momentum. Since the inaugural televised debate in 1960, these events have often spotlighted emerging leaders under the intense scrutiny of a national audience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2283717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/bush-perot-clinton-debate-1992.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32785,5894,32095,32784,32076],"class_list":["post-2283716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-memorable-moments","tag-politics","tag-presidential-debate","tag-us-history","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/bush-perot-clinton-debate-1992.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2283716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2283717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2283716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2283716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2283716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}