President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump have agreed to debate each other, following a decades-old tradition. But the similarities with previous debates are limited.
- Share full article
The debates between John F. Kennedy, left, and Richard M. Nixon in 1960 were the first to be televised.
Presidential debates have been a staple of campaigns for decades, but the ones being scheduled between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump are taking an unusual turn, with only two planned — neither of which is sanctioned by the group that has traditionally run the debates — and the first one set before either candidate has officially been nominated.
No general-election debate has ever been held earlier than Sept. 21, nearly three months later than the June 27 date proposed for the first one this year, according to historical records kept by the Commission on Presidential Debates. And no debate season has ever concluded before Oct. 13, about a month later than the Sept. 10 date proposed for the second one this year.
That is just one way in which the 2024 debates are likely to stand out. Mr. Biden is asking for news organizations to host them, rather than the commission, which has organized the debates for every presidential election since 1988. And their format could differ, too, given that Mr. Biden has asked that there not be a live audience. (Mr. Trump agrees on jettisoning the commission but disagrees on the live audience.)
The debate tradition itself is, in the scope of U.S. history, pretty modern.
The first televised general-election debates were held in 1960, but they would not be repeated for 16 years. The tradition that now exists — with debates conducted every four years and a refusal to participate constituting a breach of norms — dates back less than 50 years, to 1976.
The inaugural 1960 debates are remembered for how unprepared Richard M. Nixon, the Republican candidate, was for the bright lights of live television. During the first of four events that year, on Sept. 26, the studio lights at WBBM-TV in Chicago made Nixon sweat, illuminated his apparently unshaven face and made him look generally unappealing in contrast to John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate who went on to win the White House.
For more than a decade after that, 1960 was an anomaly — nobody seemed eager to undergo Nixon’s experience. There were no debates in 1964, 1968 or 1972.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Source: nytimes.com
