Part III 

The first presidential debate between Biden and Trump is set for June 27. How important the debates are, how they affect the course of the campaign and what history is hidden behind them, find out in the new IPESE analysis…

The US President Joe Biden and the former US President Donald Trump have agreed on the dates of two election debates. The first one, hostes by CNC, will be held on June 27, while the second is scheduled for September 10 and will be hosted by ABC. In the third part of the GUIDE TO THE US ELECTIONS by the Institute for Politics and Economy of Southeast Europe (IPESE), we are explaining the history of presidential debates, who organizes them, what the rules are, how much they affect the results of the elections…

A Quick Agreement and Sharp Rhetoric 

The quick agreement on two debate dates came after the Biden said he did not intend to participate in the usual fall debates hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates. His team proposed a showdown in front of the media cameras, so the 46th President of the US publicly said he accepted CNN’s invitation with the message: “Over to you, Donald.”

Organized presidential debates are a relatively new occurrence in the US electoral process, although there were occasional political debates between candidates in the 19th century.

Trump, who had insisted he is ready for a debate anywhere and anytime, responded on his social network Truth Social that he would be there with a message traditionally used to announce the start of boxing matches: “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

Considering the ongoing polarization in American society, but also the rhetoric used by both candidates – Trump calls Biden the worst president in history and the man who will cause the third world war, while Biden insists that Trump is a convicted criminal fighting only for himself – many consider these debates very important. Trump and his team believe the main task is to amplify voters’ concerns about Biden’s age and mental health, while Biden and his team believe they can use Trump’s rhetoric against him and remind voters why they supported the current President four years ago.

he most watched debate in history is the first clash between Clinton and Trump in 2016 with 84 million viewers.

The Unexpected Date

It is interesting that the announced debate on June 27 was scheduled unexpectedly early. At that point, none of the candidates will formally be presidential candidates of their respective parties. Trump is expected to become one after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee (July 15-18), and Biden after the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (August 19 – 22).

This debate will be different from the usual ones in that only Biden and Trump will face each other while the third candidate – Robert Kennedy – will be absent, but also in that there will be no spectators. The speaking orded of the two politicians and who gets the final word are decided by a coin toss, and the debates will be moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Initiative for the organization of presidential debates appeared in 1956 University of Maryland student Fred Kahn, an immigrant from Germany and a veteran of the Korean War. 

A Concept Designed by a Student

Presidential debates are a relatively new occurrence in the US electoral process. There were occasional political debates between candidates in the 19th century, but not many people could see them, so they were neither mandatory nor were there any rules. With the expansion of television, much had changed, so in 1956 University of Maryland student Fred Kahn, an immigrant from Germany and a veteran of the Korean War, attempted to stage a debate between Adley Stevenson and Dwight Eisenhower. He was not successful, but thanks to this initiative three debates between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon were organized in 1960. “The idea of debate, which was then considered an anachronism, became a subject of conversation, so that in 1960 they were offered three times on television”, Khan told NPR in 2012.

After the debate between Kennedy and Nixon, the presidential debates were not organized until 1976 when Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter met in front of the cameras. These events were sponsored by the League of Women Voters, which was a sponsor in 1980 and 1984. When they dropped it because the candidates were trying to control every aspect of the debate, the two major parties organized the Commission on Presidential Debates and it was the organizer of these debates until this year.

The influence of debates on election results

The impact of debates on election results is often debated. Some historians and analysts believe that John Kennedy narrowly defeated Richard Nixon after an excellent performance in the first TV debate in 1960, that Gerald Ford lost the election in 1976 because of a terrible answer to a question about Soviet troops in Eastern Europe during the debate, and that Ronald Reagan had an acting the experience used in TV fights in front of the cameras brought two mandates. Other experts believe that it is not entirely clear whether a few appearances in front of the cameras can really change the minds of voters, especially in a highly polarized society.

The impact of debates on election results is often debated, as some experts believe that it is not clear whether appearances in front of the cameras can really change the minds of voters in a highly polarized society. 

According to Pew Research Center surveys conducted after elections from 1988 to 2016, about 60 percent of voters believe that the debates helped them at least somewhat in deciding who to vote for. The percentage was the highest in 1992 – as much as 70 percent – after the debates between George Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, and the lowest – only 10 percent – in 2016, after the clash between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

However, one thing is clear, the debates have a large viewership. More than 73 million people watched the first showdown between Trump and Biden in 2020, according to Nielsen media research. It is the third most-watched debate in history, ahead of the first clash between Clinton and Trump in 2016 with 84 million viewers and the debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan with 80.4 million.

According to Pew Research Center surveys conducted after elections from 1988 to 2016, about 60 percent of voters believe that the debates helped them at least somewhat in deciding who to vote for.