United States presidential debates

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During presidential election campaigns in the United States, it has become customary for the candidates to engage in one or more debates. The topics discussed in the debate are often the most controversial issues of the time, and arguably elections have been nearly decided by these debates. Candidate debates are not constitutionally mandated, but they are now considered an intrinsic part of the election process.^[1] The debates are targeted mainly at undecided voters; those who tend not to be partial to any political ideology or party.^[2]

With the exception of the debate between 45th President Donald J. Trump and 46th President Joseph Biden held on June 27, 2024, presidential debates are typically held late in the election cycle, after the political parties have nominated their candidates. The candidates typically meet in a large hall, often at a university, and usually before an audience of citizens; however, to accommodate debate rules and guidelines requested by the Biden 2024 campaign^[3] for the June 27, 2024 debate between Trump and Biden, no audience of citizens was present. The formats of the debates have varied, with questions sometimes posed from one or more journalist moderators and in other cases members of the audience. The debate formats established during the 1988 through 2000 campaigns were governed in detail by secret memoranda of understanding (MOU) between the two major candidates; the MOU for the 2004 debates was, unlike the earlier agreements, jointly released to the public by the participants.

Debates have been broadcast live on television, radio, and in recent years, the web. The first debate for the 1960 election drew over 66 million viewers out of a population of 179 million, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in U.S. television history. The 1980 debates drew 80 million viewers out of a population of 226 million. Recent debates have drawn smaller audiences, ranging from 46 million for the first 2000 debate to a high of over 67 million for the first debate in 2012.^[4] A record-breaking audience of over 84 million people watched the first 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, a number that does not reflect online streaming.^[5]