Presidential Debate Moments

2012: Obama tells Romney "the 80s are calling and they want their foreign policy back."

Romney misses the opportunity to tell Obama "Early-90s @DavidSpade is calling and he wants his zinger back."

In a GOP primary debate, Rick Perry promises to cut major departments from the executive branch, but he can't remember which ones. "Oops."

In 1992, President George HW Bush wondered how much longer this thing was gonna be and checked his watch.

In 2000, Al Gore's engineers programmed him to intimidate George W Bush using his large stature. Bush just thought it was weird and nodded at him.

In the primaries, everyman Mitt Romney tries to bet Rick Perry $10,000 that he's wrong.

In 2012, fake news moderator Candy Crowley nukes Mitt Romney with one of the fake fact checks that we've all become accustomed to:

In 1988, Senator Bentsen did the thing he's best remembered for today which is dropping the rudest pre-Trump debate line ever: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Wish I could spend the whole day clipping old debate moments, but I do have a job

In 1988, Dukakis got a question that involved the hypothetical of his wife being raped and murdered. He was widely criticized for his completely unemotional response:

An amazing moment in the 1992 debate: Ross Perot is accused of not having enough experience in politics to be POTUS. Here’s his response:

In the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate, Nixon receives an absolutely savage question thanks to one of Eisenhower's quips:

Those who listened on the radio thought Nixon won; those who watched on TV thought Kennedy won.

Recent but EPIC debate moment here. Kamala Harris (who is now Joe Biden’s running mate) accuses Biden of trying to stop her from being able to attend an integrated school as a child:

Mitt Romney is not the first candidate ever to be fact-checked by a moderator. Here's one of the most notorious debate moments ever. In 1976, Gerald Ford claims there's no Soviet domination of eastern Europe:

One of the greatest answers ever in 1984. Reagan says: "I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I will not exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."

Even Mondale cracks up at the line.

One of my personal favorite debate moments ever. @tedcruz destroys the biased moderators who have no business moderating a GOP debate

In 1992 (VP debate), the media turned Admiral Stockdale's "Who am I? Why am I here?" opening statement into a gaffe, but I think it's clear what he was saying. The audience seemed to get it.

(If Biden says the same thing at tonight's debate, it probably really will be a gaffe)

Trump's most memorable debate moment (and there are lots) is in 2016 when he told Hillary Clinton she's be "in jail" if he were President. Then, Anderson Cooper scolded the audience for cheering.

In 1980, feeling that Carter kept misrepresenting his opinions, Reagan dropped the line "There you go again."

To understand why it was a big deal, you have to watch the entire debate. It was devoid of personality. Back then audiences were told not to react and the really didn't

The line "There you go again" was so memorable and successful in 1980 that Reagan broke it out again against Mondale in 1984

At a 1980 GOP debate, there was a fight over the rules. Would Dole, Baker, and Anderson be allowed to participate or would it be just Bush and Reagan. The moderator ordered Reagan's mic turned off and Reagan responded:

In 1984, George Bush became the first Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate to debate against a woman, Geraldine Ferraro, and she called him out for mansplaining: