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21 of the Best Moments and Memes From the 2024 US Presidential Debate

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If you’re in the mood for political humour, here are some of X’s best moments and memes from the 2024 US presidential debate.

Hosted by the ABC news network, the September 10th presidential debate drew viewers from all walks of life, eager to witness the first in-person clash of wits between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. While the night concluded on closing statements delivered by the former president, the internet has since erupted in memes to mark the debate’s most memorable beats. Here are some of the best moments and memes from the 2024 US presidential debate. 

On June 27 2024, the first presidential election of the year was hosted by CNN, garnering 51.27 million viewers on television. The event saw Republican nominee Donald Trump and president Joe Biden duking it out in an attempt to win over voters. However, Biden’s abysmal performance left much to be desired, leaving the Democratic camp in disarray with longtime supporters questioning the incumbent president’s ability to lead another term. 

That all changed when Biden stepped aside. 

Vice president Kamala Harris’ formal appointment as Democratic nominee for president rejuvenated the party and its campaign. The Harris-Walz ticket quickly gained traction among the younger generation, leveraging a formidable social media strategy and marketing campaign to widen their berth for winning voters across America. With Trump’s camp clearly stumped as to how they might address their rival party’s resurrection, all eyes were turned towards the opponents’ first debate. 

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The 2024 US presidential debate in a nutshell, and how it spurred memes

Hosted on ABC, the September 10th debate was a 90-minute-long masterclass on distraction, deflection, and throwing shade. Moderated by veteran ABC journalists and broadcasters David Muir and Linsey Davis, the event was held in the National Constitution Center of Philadelphia, with no live audience in attendance. Additionally, the candidates were asked to stand behind their podiums for the duration of the debate, with their microphones muted when it was not their turn to speak. They were also not allowed to speak to their teams during breaks, and were permitted only a pen, notepad, and a bottle of water with no props or pre-written notes allowed.  

As expected, the debate proved to be an explosive face-off with both candidates going head-to-head over issues like women’s rights, abortion, border security and immigration, foreign policy, the economy, and more. While the moderators grilled the two on issues pertinent to the American people, the onus also fell on them to fact check as needed — and it was indeed very much needed, given the many ludicrous claims that were made onstage. According to CNN, the former president made no less than 33 false claims during the debate. At one memorable point, the former president alluded that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were kidnapping residents’ Pets and eating them. At another point, he again raised eyebrows when he suggested Democrats were working to ensure babies could be aborted at the ninth month.  

Speaking to reporters in the spin room after the debate, Trump was understandably unhappy with the outcome, calling it a 3-on-1 as he notably received the brunt of the moderators’ fact checking. And while it is difficult to fully refute media bias within the context of the debate, it bears noting that Harris made fewer points requiring correction. Additionally, political pundits, networks, and experts have since lauded her restraint in speech, her polish, and her sly determination in getting under Trump’s skin, from the mention of his crowd sizes to his propensity for being manipulated by foreign powers. 

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How did they do? 

Trump believes he won the debate. Speaking to reporters after the debate, the former president said, “I think it’s the best debate that I’ve ever had. We’re getting polls that show 92 to 6, 88 to 11…” The next morning, Trump dialed in to Fox News to reiterate his claim, saying, “Every single poll last night had me winning like 90 to 10, we had C-SPAN at one point was at 80 to 20.” 

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A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump)

In contrast, polls released by news media outlets tell a jarringly different tale. Across the board, there is a general sense that Harris has emerged the victorious party. A report by the New York Times suggests that even those within Trump’s own camp share that sentiment. And the numbers add up. According to a CNN snap poll conducted by SRRS, 63 percent of viewers favoured Harris’ performance against Trump’s, which was favoured by 37 percent. These numbers mark a significant upward trend from Biden’s performance against Trump back in June, when the viewers had favoured Trump 67 percent to Biden’s 33 percent. 

And that’s not all. Another poll by YouGov placed Harris at 43 percent, with Trump trailing behind at 28 percent. A panel of experts put together by The Guardian favoured Harris, despite her ‘lack of a governing agenda’. And perhaps most tellingly, even the political pundits of Fox News, who have long been stalwart supporters of Trump, agreed that Harris had come out looking the better candidate that night. The Harris-Walz campaign have clearly noted their victory and have since called for a second presidential debate before November. 

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A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris)

The debate aside, Harris appears to have won the night in more ways than one. Following the debate’s conclusion, the Harris-Walz campaign received one of the most coveted endorsements of 2024 — Taylor Swift. In an Instagram post that has since garnered over 10 million likes, the “Only The Young” singer expressed her concerns over the growing dangers of AI, referencing an AI-generated deepfake post that falsely claimed she supported Trump. 

“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” She wrote, adding, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Following Swift’s announcement, the Harris-Walz campaign began selling friendship bracelets on their campaign website. Further capitalising on Swift’s highly valuable endorsement, Harris paid homage to the singer by exiting her post-debate party with “The Man” playing triumphantly in the background. 

Overall, this debate fared much better than its predecessor, garnering 67.1 million viewers across 17 television networks, marking an increase of 26.1 million viewers. With early voters poised to cast their ballots as soon as this month, the race to the white house in the 2024 US presidential election is definitely heating up. 

And we absolutely love to see it. 

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The best moments and memes from the 2024 US presidential debate

Not the dogs!

Kamala Harris is every woman who’s ever been on a bad first date

us presidential debate 2024 memes
(Image: @itsmargmaria/X)

Childless Cat Ladies unite

Talk about icing out your own running mate

It’s a struggle to reach that word count

Can a moderator win a debate?

Fact checking done right

And she did it with a smile on her face

Kamala is Brat

A communal conundrum

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Watching your child try to explain why they deserve to have ice cream for dinner

us presidential debate 2024 memes
(Image: @TSAntigua/X)

Grab the popcorn

It’s way past my bedtime

Mother always knows

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you come back and give pointers to Kamala Harris

us presidential debate 2024 memes
X users were quick to share memes after the 2024 US presidential debate. (Image: @mmpadellan/X)

Can confirm we heard them all the way in Asia

A novel movie idea

Fun fact: Convicted felons are not allowed to have guns

XOXO, Childless Cat Lady

When the 2024 US presidential debate sparks memes…

The next parent-teacher conference is going to be interesting

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(Main and featured images: Saul Loeb/AFP)

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