Comment on Presidential Debates in History That Moved the Needle

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — Mongolia, where parliamentary elections were being held Friday, is a sparsely populated and landlocked Asian nation known for its bitter winter cold and independent spirit. As a democracy of just 3.4 million people in the shadow of two much larger authoritarian states, China and Russia, it has taken on symbolic importance in an era when democracy is under pressure or in crisis in many countries, including the United States. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In an earlier era, the fierce nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppe were widely feared, at one point conquering China and expanding west across Asia to the edges of Europe. Today, it is a country punctuated by extremes.

It all started out comically enough. When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain to announce the country’s July 4 snap election, there was a palpable feeling of excitement. Five years (and three prime ministers) since Boris Johnson’s landslide victory in 2019, the British people would finally get their chance to elect a new government—one that, if the polls are to be believed, will almost certainly end with Sunak’s ruling Conservatives getting booted from power after 14 years. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] But whatever excitement the snap election generated seemed to quickly give way to bewilderment and disillusionment as, gaffe after gaffe, the Conservatives appeared to sacrifice what little hope they had of narrowing Labour’s poll lead and consequently staving off an electoral wipeout.

After former President Donald Trump was criminally convicted last month, a historic first for a U. S. President, the guilty verdict was expected to be a topic neither Trump—who has campaigned on the claim that he was politically targeted—nor President Joe Biden could stay away from. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] But instead of dominating discussion, Trump’s conviction only came up for the first time more than 45 minutes into the over 90-minute debate moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash—and it was only mentioned during one less than five-minute segment. Read More: These Are the Biggest Moments in the First Presidential Debate “The only person in this stage [who] is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said during a back and forth about the Jan.

On Thursday night, independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. stood alone on a stage in a small studio in Los Angeles answering the questions posed to his rivals at the first presidential debate 2,000 miles away in Atlanta. A livestream behind the scenes showed dozens of people hooting, clapping, and chanting “Bobby!” from plastic chairs in a dark studio as Kennedy stood behind a lit-up blue podium with a screen behind him reading “The Real Debate.” He faced Jon Stossel, a libertarian media personality, who served as a moderator of sorts as he frequently cut Kennedy off to return to CNN.

Former President Donald Trump defended the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. He called the Charlottesville white supremacist rally a “made up story.” He boasted that “We had H20” during his administration. He tried to assure American voters that he did not have sex with a porn star. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Under normal circumstances, Trump’s words would mark defining moments in the first 2024 presidential debate.

Here's the CNN live stream of tonight's debate, which promises to be something not resembling a debate at all. When one guy is policy-focused and the other guy is just a raving loon, it doesn't really set the table for a debate. Nevertheless, it is an important moment in the 2024 election cycle, and so we hope you'll join us and watch live.