2016 United States Presidential Election Debates

Overview

The 2016 United States Presidential Election Debates are a series of debates between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the 2016 United States presidential general election.

Background

In the 2016 United States presidential election, Clinton and Trump were on enough ballots to potentially reach 270 electoral votes and more than a 15% polling average, the criteria set for by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) to be eligible to participate in the schedule debates. Both Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson did not reach the minimum polling average, making them ineligible for the events.

Developments

September 26th: First Presidential Debate

The first general election debate was held on September 26th, 2016 at Hofstra University in New York City (shown below).

Online Reactions

On the /r/blackpeopletwitter subreddit, several posts poking fun at the debates reached the front page (shown below).^[7][8][9] Meanwhile, several news sites published listicles highlighting notable tweets and memes posted about the debates, including US Weekly,^[12] The Daily Mail,^[13] Heavy^[14] and NY Mag.^[15]

Trump's Sniffles

Trump Sniffles refers to a series of tweets mocking Trump for sniffling through his nose during the debate. Social media users quickly picked up on the frequency of Trump's sniffling, and began making jokes and spreading tongue-in-cheek rumors about his health and possible cocaine use. Additionally, Trump's sniffles inspired over a dozen parody accounts devoted solely to Trump sniffling.^[4]

Lester Holt's Moderation

The event was hosted by NBC anchor Lester Holt, who became the subject of many online discussions and jokes throughout the debate.

In the coming days, several news site published articles about the online reaction to Lester Holt's moderation, including BuzzFeed,^[1] Romper^[10] and USA Today.^[11] Meanwhile, artist Ben Garrison released a political cartoon accusing Holt of bias against Trump in his line of questioning (shown below).

Sad Bernie Sanders

Sad Bernie Sanders is a photoshop meme based on a photograph of former Democratic presidential candidate watching the broadcast of the first round of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Debates between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton on September 26th, 2016. Upon entering online circulation, the photograph quickly drew sympathetic responses from his loyal supporters on Twitter and went on to inspire a series of photoshopped parodies on Reddit and Imgur.

The following day, dozens of news publications published pieces about the popularity of "Sad Bernie Sanders" memes, including Buzzfeed,^[18] Mashable,^[19] Paper Magazine,^[20] Complex,^[21] Elite Daily,^[22] and more. Sad Bernie Sanders memes had also become a Twitter Moment^[23] the following day.

400-Pound Hacker

When discussing the Democratic National Committee email leak, Trump stated "Maybe the DNC hacker was someone sitting on his bed who weighs 400 pounds" (shown below).

That evening, many joked about the statement online, leading the news sites Fortune,^[3] UpRoxx^[4] and CBS^[5] to post articles highlighting notable internet reactions (shown below).

"Call Sean Hannity"

When discussing whether or not he supported the Iraq War, Trump repeatedly exclaimed that no journalists would "call Sean Hannity" when investigated his early stances on the United States military action (shown below, left). Following the debate, Hannity interviewed Trump and corroborated Trump's statements that he was previously against the Iraq War (shown below, right).

Later that evening, The Ringer podcast called Hannity during the broadcast to ask him about the debate segment, leading Hannity to hang up the phone (shown below).

#TrumpWon

The next morning, the hashtag #TrumpWon^[17] began trending on Twitter, which supporters of the Republican presidential candidate used to praise their candidates performance, while critics tweeted the hashtag sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Trump tweeted the hashtag himself, thanking his supporters for helping it become a trending topic on the social media platform (shown below).^[16]

October 4th: Vice Presidential Debate

On October 4th, 2016, the vice presidential debate between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence took place at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

October 9th: Second Presidential Debate

#HillaryFly

#HillaryFly is the nickname given to a house fly that landed on the face of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the second 2016 United States presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri on October 9th, 2016. Shortly after its on-screen appearance, many viewers on the social media became fixated with the fly, spawning a series of satirical jokes involving the fly and both of the candidates.

Donald Trump’s Debate Chair

Donald Trump’s Debate Chair refers to a photoshop meme based on a picture of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump grasping a chair while standing behind rival Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the second 2016 United States presidential debate in early October 2016.

Trump Lurking Behind Clinton

Trump Lurking Behind Clinton refers to photographs and videos showing Donald Trump standing behind Hillary Clinton during the second presidential general election debate held in early October 2016.

Clinton-Trump Duet

Clinton/Trump Duet refers to a series of jokes about pictures taken at the second 2016 United States Presidential Election Debate of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump that make the candidates appear as though they are singing a karaoke duet.

Ken Bone

Ken Bone is a man who asked a question during the second 2016 United States Presidential Election Debate, which had a town hall format in which selected undecided voters ask questions directly to the candidates. Bone asked a question about the candidates’ energy policies, but because of his name and appearance, he immediately became popular on social media as users joked about him and engaged in ironic fandom.

October 19th: Third Presidential Debate

• Twitter – NO YOU'RE THE PUPPET
• Twitter – BIGLY
• Twitter – #BadHombre

Search Interest

External References