Top 10 Most Awkward Moments in US Presidential Debates

Biden vs. Trump (2024)

There is no doubt that the June 2024 debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is one for the history books, with many moments you have to see to believe. One real doozy in this rollercoaster ride of a debate occurred pretty early on when Biden was asked about the national debt. He started well enough, discussing his tax reform policies and their potential impact on healthcare, but seemed to lose track about halfway through. He mumbled something about COVID, paused, and put his head down before declaring that we had beat Medicare, whatever that means. Trump was, of course, quick with a rejoinder that was later repeated by critics after the debate who questioned Biden’s ability to continue as president.

Reagan vs. Mondale (1984)

During the 1984 presidential election, 73-year-old former governor of California Ronald Reagan was essentially asked: Are you too old to be president? Reagan’s response flipped the question around, highlighting his experience and strengths and his opponent’s supposed lack thereof. Like the seasoned performer he was, Reagan then took a drink of water to let the moment really land with the audience. In the end, not only did Reagan win the election, but he had one of the biggest landslide victories in United States history.

Obama vs. Romney (2012)

When asked to address the issue of gender pay equity, governor Mitt Romney focused on his efforts to increase the number of women in his cabinet. He described receiving “whole binders full of women'' as he searched for candidates. While he had been referring to resumes stored in ring binders, his phrasing made him sound less like a governor filling a cabinet, and more like an over-excited teenager going through a Victoria’s Secret catalog. The phrase garnered massive attention and quickly became an internet joke with Obama referencing it on the campaign trail. All this came just minutes before Romney and Obama’s gripe over the latter’s response to the 2012 Benghazi attack, and if you want to know more about that, just get the transcripts.

Carter vs. Ford (1976)

An important ingredient for having a successful debate is getting your facts straight and your ducks in a row, a lesson Gerald Ford learned the hard way. During the second presidential debate in 1976, Ford was asked about Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. His response: there was none, a factual fallacy given the USSR’s reach and the large number of communist governments in the region at the time. Even when asked again by a rather incredulous moderator, Ford doubled down on his response, describing some of his visits to specific European countries. While some say he was simply reiterating US foreign policy that all nations are free nations, the fumbled response made him appear ignorant and is widely believed to have cost him the election.

Biden vs. Trump (2020)

Four years before the aforementioned Medicare debate gaffe, Joe Biden was a presidential candidate trying to encourage people to vote. It was a job made infinitely harder by Donald Trump’s consistent interruptions. While Biden initially tried to ignore the buzzing, it became too much and he clapped back, eventually yelling at Trump to shut up. The duo then started to argue over each other as the debate devolved into chaos, forcing Chris Wallace to go from moderator to kindergarten teacher in an attempt to restore order. This was essentially a recap of the 2016 presidential debates with Anderson Cooper having to repeatedly chastise Donald Trump for interrupting or talking over Hillary Clinton.

Kennedy vs. Nixon (1960)

The first general presidential debate was held in 1960 between Vice President Richard Nixon and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy. It was also the first televised debate giving voters the historic opportunity to see their candidates live, and what opposing figures they cut. Kennedy was relaxed, confident, and dapper. Nixon was sweaty, unshaven, disheveled, and uncomfortable under the lights. Nixon’s mother reportedly even thought he was ill after the debate. Interestingly enough, voters who only heard the debate on the radio, without seeing the candidates, actually favored Nixon, demonstrating the importance of good stage presence. Maybe there’s a parallel universe where Nixon wins that election, but in this reality, the television viewers win out and a Nixon presidency does not come until 1969.

Clinton vs. Bush vs. Perot (1992)

This moment is another example of why your mannerisms during a debate are so critical. When asked a question about the impact of the national debt during the second of the 1992 debates, Bush first looked at his watch before essentially asking the speaker to repeat the question. He then bumbled through an answer that somehow shoehorned in cancer and teenage pregnancy without really responding to the heart of the matter. This was in sharp contrast to Bill Clinton, known for his public speaking skills, who gave a clear, concise, and heartfelt answer. While Bush later explained that he would get rather uncomfortable during debates, the damage was done and his campaign was significantly weakened.

Bush vs. Dukakis (1988)

Michael Dukakis had a successful political career as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and then its governor when he decided to run for president in 1987. He successfully won the Democratic primary but struggled against Republican candidate George H.W. Bush, who often criticized Dukakis’s ‘liberal’ view on issues such as the death penalty. Journalist Bernard Shaw decided to test Dukasis’s death penalty opposition during the second 1988 presidential debate by opening with the most personally intrusive question imaginable. While Dukakis gave a valid response, most viewers believed it too emotionless and played into his already ‘robotic’ reputation. His campaign never recovered and Bush went on to win the election. In all fairness to Dukakis, though, what kind of question was that?

Bush vs. Gore (2000)

If you were to ask people what they took from the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore, they wouldn’t say a clever zinger or a strong answer. Instead, it would be “the sigh heard round the world.” The former vice president was caught exasperatedly sighing and shrugging his shoulders multiple times while Bush was speaking. The moment was heavily parodied by talk and comedy shows and capitalized on by the Bush Campaign with their “Sighs and Lies” ad campaign. Gore managed to keep the sighs in a lockbox after that and perform more strongly in future debates, but it was too little, too late. After all, we all know who won that election.

Republican Presidential Primaries (2012)

One of the most memorable moments of the 2012 Republican presidential primaries came from Texas Governor Rick Perry. During the ninth Republican primary debate, Perry eagerly declared his intention to get rid of the departments of commerce, education, and uh, damn it, what was that third one again? Perry froze, and even with some help from the sidelines and a second chance from the moderators he simply could not remember, giving up with a shrug and an ‘Ooops.’ The blunder quickly went viral complete with its own “SNL” impression and Perry soon dropped out of the race. That elusive third department was the US Department of Energy, which Rick Perry would ironically end up leading just a few short years later.

What other embarrassing or absurd moments from presidential debates do you think should have been on this list? Let us know in the comments below.