The 2020 presidential debates: reasoned argument or political theater

Abstract After what was widely perceived to be a disastrous first debate in 2020, the second debate was viewed as a vast improvement, a shift that fulfilled the pedagogical functions of presidential debates for educating the public. A close analysis of the arguments in the two debates, however, does not support this judgment. Rather, it indicates that the 2020 presidential debates functioned more as political theater than they did as public argument. A change in format could shift the incentives facing the candidates, encouraging them to build strong arguments in favor of their position.