Presidential Debate Quotes

Let's face it. If I was funnier than Ronald Reagan, I would have won in 1980. And he'd be up here tonight trying to laugh away the Bush deficit.

Newt Gingrich would cream Barack Obama in a debate.

I did not endorse Trump, because I had condemned President Obama for telling us what to do in our referendum. But I did say that if I was a U.S. citizen, I would not vote for Hillary Clinton even if she paid me.

How can you run for president if you don't know the job description?

A presidential debate is a job interview. And voters look for certain traits in people applying to be president.

Big news from last night's Republican debate, you guys. It turns out George Bush was actually the smart Texas governor.

Am I happy with the choice? No I'm not. But I'm going to make my choice, and I expect to vote for Donald Trump.

Saddam Hussein also challenged President Bush to a debate. The Butcher of Baghdad vs. the Butcher of the English language.

Democrats should run Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for president. He's more coherent than Dennis Kucinich, he dresses like their base, he's more macho than John Edwards, and he's willing to show up at a forum where he might get one hostile question - unlike the current Democratic candidates for president who won't debate on Fox News Channel. He's not married to an impeached president, and the name Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is surely no more frightening than B. Hussein Obama.

I say I'm the only serious comedian in the presidential race. And I'd like to take this opportunity to ask both Romney and Obama to debate me. Because I think that both of those guys - I think that the American people are being given a false choice, because the choice between the lesser of two evils is a false choice.

President Bush said John Kerry is on both sides of every issue. And Kerry replied, 'No, I'm not ... but there is some truth to that.'

I don't believe the President of the United States should debate with anybody.

There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

A candidate challenging an incumbent president has the advantage [in a debate]. The president of the United States is an awesome figure. Merely to share the platform with him on equal terms is to gain in stature: a good performance will be judged even better.

When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of lowering the level of discourse in a presidential debate, suggesting that such a discussion is unworthy of consideration by voters.

As was demonstrated back in 2012, [Barack] Obama was thought to be in big trouble after that first debate, and he wasn't, was he? That first debate didn't end up hurting Barack Obama at all, did it? I know he had incumbancy on his side, but still. He was horrible that first debate. It didn't matter because there were two more, and there are two more here.

Today, I'm a candidate for the office of president of the United States of America. My kids can't believe I just said that.

During the debate, Bush was asked by a lady to name three mistakes he's made. And Bush responded, this debate, the last debate and the next debate.

[Marco] Rubio, in particular, focused on something far more elemental. Trump's character and record as a businessman, and in the process perhaps added a few chapters to the Democrat's play book against [Donald] Trump.

During the Democratic presidential debate Howard Dean started off by apologizing to the crowd for having a cold. Then John Kerry apologized for once having a cold while serving his country in Vietnam.

Did you see Bush on TV, trying to debate? Jesus, he talked like a donkey with no brains at all...It was pitiful...I almost felt sorry for him, until I heard someone call him 'Mr. President,' and then I felt ashamed.

Democracy needs to start with an open Presidential debate. So come on out and let's take back the promise of our democracy.

During the debate, Palin winked, wrinkled her nose, and gave a shout-out to a third-grade class. Well, you know, that says commander-in-chief to me right there. You betcha!

Ronald Reagan's advisors know that if he goes to sleep for even five minutes during the second debate, he'll be in trouble.

Nobody running for political office was allowed to speak. The rules were so restrictive that unless you could get--which was impossible--both candidates for president of the United States to speak at the same time, you couldn't have either one of them.