JFK v. Nixon set the debate stage for Harris v. Trump

Joe Biden's abysmal performance in 2024 presidential debate set in motion a chain of events culminating in a sitting president withdrawing his reelection campaign.

To best understand why debates remain so potent in 2024 , one need only look to the first presidential debates ever televised.

John F. Kennedy drew favorable contrast against Richard M. Nixon with his characteristic handsomeness and eloquence.

Candidates must make a "decided comeback" or be "placed at an almost hopeless disadvantage for the balance of the campaign" In the 1960 election, Kennedy and Nixon came within less than 0.2 percent of each other in the national popular vote.

The most salient legacy of the 1960 debates — not just in 2024 , but likely for any year — is that they showed American voters do want to be directly engaged in discussing their political future.

The heavily-moderated approach first used in 1960 remains the status quo. "It’s interesting that the networks wanted the candidates to question each other directly, and that the campaigns refused; they insisted that the questions come from a panel of journalists," Logevall said. "Thus was established the format that persists to this day : a joint press appearance more than an actual debate." More articles on psychology and politics:.