Historians and scholars: Viewers 'want to see blood' in presidential debate

27 June 2024

In the 2020 presidential election, the first Donald Trump/Joe Biden debate wasn't held until September 29. But this year, Trump and Biden are having their first debate three months earlier with a Thursday night, June 27 showdown moderated by CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta.

The debate is expected to be contentious. In an article published early Thursday morning, the Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery emphasizes that according to historians and scholars, many viewers will be watching to see "blood" — they will be looking for a brutal debate and tuning in to see which candidate suffers the most political damage.

"The vast majority of Americans will not be watching to be informed on policy or even to help them decide who will earn their vote," Pagliery writes. "They just want to see the other guy fall."

Luke Nichter, a presidential historian at Chapman University in Orange, California south of Los Angeles, told the Daily Beast that the June 27 event is "not really a debate," but rather, "a competitive press conference, simultaneous rallies with a split screen."

Barbara A. Perry, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia, compares watching the debate to watching a car crash.

Perry told the Beast, "They're curious. They want to see if there's blood. I do think there are people who literally truly haven't decided. They don't like either one. They don't think either one should be president. They truly are looking to see who gets out of the car unscathed."

Perry continued, "I hate the sight of blood. I don't go to slasher movies. But why do people go watch slasher movies like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?'…. The bar is so low, but the stakes are so high."

Similarly, former journalist Willard Sterne Randall — now a history professor at Champlain College in Vermont — expects more of a shouting match than a debate.

Randall told the Beast, "They've rehearsed everything they're going to say. They won't look at each other or shake hands, or walk around…. The term 'hate watch' is apt. There are people who'd like some reassurance about two old men and are watching to see if the guy you don't like stumbles badly enough."

The Champlain professor continued, "It's unlike any other presidential debate we've had. And it's anything but a debate. People will show up to see which car they want better — or rather, which one won't work."

Read Jose Pagliery's full article for the Daily Beast at this link (subscription required).

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