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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump appear in the second of three presidential general election debates, October 2016. Sachs Ron/CNP/ABACA

Quiz: How well do you know these moments from televised political debates?

Here are some highs and lows of televised election debates ahead of Round One of the US presidential election tonight.

TELEVISED POLITICAL DEBATES, a blood sport that usually shed more heat than light, can yield incredible moments that can haunt or elevate an election candidate.

Tonight, Donald Trump and Joe Biden will go head-to-head in the first televised debate of the US presidential election. 

Our reporter Sean Murray will be bringing you all the highs and lows as he liveblogs the spectacle through the night from 2am, but until then, this quiz should give you your fix of gaffes, one-liners, and jaw-dropping moments from debates in the US, UK and Ireland.

Off with yis.

The first televised US presidential election debate was between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. What did Nixon do that is thought to have hurt his election chances?
He bugged JFK’s office
He didn’t wear make-up

He stuttered a lot during the debate
He kept looking at his shoes
The first televised leaders’ debate in Ireland happened between Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald and Charles Haughey in 1982. What did Haughey attack Fitzgerald’s government over during the debate?
Introducing VAT on children’s shoes in the Budget
Not giving out free toothbrushes to children in the Budget

Not halving the national deficit
Not taking a photo with him before the debate
What blunder did President Gerald Ford utter in a debate with Jimmy Carter in 1976, at the height of the Cold War?
“We have yet to send a man to the moon.”
“The US was not heavily involved in the Vietnam War, and will never be under a Ford administration."

"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never be will under a Ford administration."
"I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
This candidate was leading in the polls running up to the 2011 presidential election, but their chances were scuppered after a controversy dubbed 'Tweetgate' on RTÉ's Frontline. Who was this candidate?
Seán Gallagher
Martin McGuinness

Dana
Pat Kenny
In 1984, the 76-year-old Ronald Reagan was asked whether his age could be an issue in the election campaign. Finish Reagan’s response, which prompted laughs from the audience and his opponent: "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes...
“...my very successful acting career."
“...people’s sympathy for a handsome, but aging man."

“...my bad back."
“...my opponent's youth and inexperience."
In Ireland’s general election in February this year, what did Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald refer to Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar as during the RTE’s Claire Byrne Live seven-way debate?
Zig and zag
Starsky and Hutch

Tweedle dee and tweedle dum
Bert and Ernie
In the 2000 US presidential election, while describing the differences between himself and Al Gore, George W Bush gets up from his chair while speaking to the audience. Gore also stands up, and strolls over next to him. What happens next?
Gore nudges him with his shoulder, and Bush asks him to sit back down
Bush glances at Gore, nods at him with a smile, and looks back at the audience

Bush retreats back into his chair, and then Gore smiles and answers the question
Bush runs away and Gore runs after him
During the first televised debate of the UK general election last year, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn were asked a very simple question by an audience member: "How can we trust you?" What was the response?
Johnson responded “Look what I’ve delivered”, and the audience laughed
Corbyn said “Look what I've promised”, and the audience laughed

Johnson said “you can’t trust anyone in politics really, especially Labour”
Corbyn said “you can trust us more than the Tories”, and the audience booed
In the 2016 US presidential election, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were asked to name one thing that they respect about one another. Trump walked away from the man who asked the question, and didn’t answer the question immediately. When he did, what did he say?
“She’s a nasty woman, I don’t know what else to say.”
“She doesn’t quit, she doesn’t give up, I respect that.”

“I admire her work as a parent and a mother.”
Nothing - he didn’t answer the question.
And finally, what is one of the lines that shot Saoirse McHugh’s name to the national political stage during a European election debate on RTÉ's Prime Time in May last year?
“I’m going to leave the Green Party if they go into coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.”
“Millionaires scapegoating migrants is an old trope and it’s boring.”

“We have to get involved in politics, not least because we’re so far away from revolution.”
“Miphael D’Arcy photo revolving door.”
Answer all the questions to see your result!
You scored out of !
Political anorak
The devil's in the detail, and by god you really know the details.
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Your average Joe
A respectable score - but we want a little more.
Share your result:
You scored out of !
Unregistered voter
You could do better - but also probably have better things to be doing.
Share your result:

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3 Comments
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    Mute Micky The Pikey
    Favourite Micky The Pikey
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:28 AM

    This is great to see! PSG the best team by a mile and well deserved. They should have scored over 10 goals the 2 legs.

    100
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    Mute DC
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:56 AM

    @Micky The Pikey: Utd fan ? Say you just keep focused on the relegation battle , and send over a few sandwiches to the canteen in old trafford lmfao

    73
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    Mute Micky The Pikey
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:01 AM

    @DC: no stopping the Sloth machine!!! Hahahhahaha!! Ynwa a jokers

    36
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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 10:31 AM

    @Micky The Pikey: only ten,can you not count after that,or did you run out of fingers .

    8
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    Mute Micky The Pikey
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:17 AM

    @Deano74: yes possibly more so but it’s great to put them back in their box thinking they are the best in the world. Premier league is
    Poorest it’s been for years.

    15
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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:19 AM

    @DC: nothing he said wasn’t true. Unbelievably fortunate to win the first leg and their goal led a charmed life in the second. But sure bring up man utd because you can’t counter with any footballing argument.

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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:34 AM

    @Micky The Pikey: The best in the world cr*p is just a myth, peddled by tools to draw in f00ls, well done they got ye, Liverpool are the best in England right now only,as psg are in France,no meaningful competition exists to test this theory,and as always,it’s a poor league when someone else’s team are winning it.

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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:38 AM

    @Deano74: the poor league bit is really down to 19 teams being abysmal as opposed to one being decent.

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    Mute eric
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    Mar 12th 2025, 2:05 PM

    @Deano74: id say he has at least another 2 on each hand , thanks to genetics !!

    3
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    Mute Daniel Gilroy
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:24 AM

    Great match, we had chances, so did they. Can’t win them all. Enjoy the rest of the season. YNWA.

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    Mute Sun Rise
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:10 AM

    @Daniel Gilroy: We? Do you play for Liverpool?

    74
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    Mute John Paul Gallagher
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    Mar 12th 2025, 9:39 AM

    @Sun Rise: I’m gonna hedge my bets here and guess he’s a fan of Liverpool, hence the “we”. Of course I could be wrong and he may be a player. Fair play if he is but the way I see it is, a football club is much more than just it’s players. It’s the owners, the staff, the sponsors, the media, the fans, the players and probably many others with differing interests. But all with an investment and a kinship to a club. So yeah I think it’s fair to say “we” if you have any connection to a club.

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    Mute George Bowling
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    Mar 12th 2025, 12:43 PM

    @John Paul Gallagher: does watching something on TV really give someone a connection to a club? Are “we” going for a few scoops down the Rovers Return later, or will “we” compete with the Nazis to secure possession of the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis get their faces burned off by opening it instead?

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Mar 12th 2025, 2:13 PM

    @George Bowling: did ‘we’ write the jokes you robbed from that Mitchell and Webb look too?

    5
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    Mute Niall Chandler
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    Mar 12th 2025, 2:24 PM

    @Sun Rise: I’m impressed, that could be the most original query in the history of The Journal……

    1
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    Mute Moses
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:02 AM

    Liverpool having a great year and beaten by a very good team.

    Slot will get his chance to improve the team with a few of his own transfers in over the Summer so I would say exciting times ahead for Liverpool.

    63
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    Mute John Fagan
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    Mar 12th 2025, 10:04 AM

    @Moses: A few weeks ago you scousers were claiming to be the best team in the world. That’s laughable now. Stop Salah, which PSG did, and you stop Liverpool. They are a one dimensional team at best and if City hadn’t collapsed this year they would win nothing.

    28
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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 12:36 PM

    @John Fagan: Don’t agree,city have lost 9 I think,in a decent city year lets say they won 7 of those 9,points wise they still trail Liverpool,it’s all IFS and butts I know,but what is for sure is Liverpool are winning the league and city aren’t .

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    Mute Fred
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    Mar 12th 2025, 3:00 PM

    @John Fagan: Another bitter MU Fan. Such a sad bunch of REAL LOSERS!

    3
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    Mute John Fagan
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    Mar 12th 2025, 5:22 PM

    @Fred: I am not a Man U fan. I think you need to realise people don’t like Liverpool because they always go on like they are the greatest team ever but never back it up. They just talk about it.

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    Mute Micky The Pikey
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    Mar 12th 2025, 5:43 PM

    @Fred: and Plymouth if all teams wiped the floor with Liverpool. Hopefully they bugger off now for a few years once the key players leave this season.

    3
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    Mute James Groden
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:53 AM

    Better team over the two legs and deserved to go through. Much more of a team than when they had the collection of exceptional individuals.

    42
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    Mute Allo Allo
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:27 AM

    Liverpool out classed over the two legs, best team went through, good entertainment though, it’s a poor premier league this year and it’s showing in Europe.

    36
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    Mute The Firestarter
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    Mar 12th 2025, 10:59 AM

    @Allo Allo: Oh and the French League is such a top class league? PSG fully deserved to go through, but they are no better than Man City, tainted by Saudi Arabian money. With all the money put into that club, themselves and City should be winning the Champions League every other year!!

    10
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    Mute Allo Allo
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    Mar 12th 2025, 12:29 PM

    @The Firestarter: PSG have top manager and top players regardless of league. Liverpool are faceing a player walk out and need a rebuild at end of season

    2
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    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:20 AM

    It just wasn’t to be. Great team all the same.
    They were very lucky in the 1st leg and Alyson played a blinder.

    31
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    Mute Jack
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:24 AM

    Couldn’t understand why they were so cautious trying to defend a 1 goal deficit, at home. Strange given they are the ‘best team in the world’.

    25
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    Mute Temp Stuff
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:48 AM

    @Jack: they are not the best team in the world. Best team in England currently. But you have to hand it to them, made the most money from the CL league stage and will win the Prem. Slots first season. The years ahead are looking sound. If they had a blank cheque book, it would be interesting

    25
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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:41 AM

    Psg deserved it over the two legs,no complaints TBH,on to Sunday now.

    18
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    Mute D
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:37 AM

    Nunez failed team – professional footballer cannot kick a ball – for the money they’re paid – awful

    24
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    Mute DC
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    Mar 12th 2025, 7:54 AM

    @D: set up elliot last week , swings and roundabouts , any other night mo would have buried his chance in the first 10 mins

    12
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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 8:46 AM

    @D: yes he missed his penalty,we’re all shocked and saddened,no doubt we will all find comfort and solace from somewhere.

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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:15 AM

    Best team won on the night in the two, in saying that we need to take stock of what we got, Vandyke Needs to go imo, they should not keep him for a another year, all he does is designate and makes it look like he’s doing something, CK is a better keeper for pens, and Nunez is a jinx I could not believe he was taking a pen. The league is won and we have the cup on Sunday.SO Y.W.N.A

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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:45 AM

    @Phillip Smyth: Van dyke has another year left,he’s a leader,that’s what they do,konate in my opinion would be an utter shambles without Van dyke beside him.

    4
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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    Mar 12th 2025, 11:55 AM

    @Deano74: it’s just myOP have a look at him next time. I have to agree he has been a great asset to the defense of the club, but his time is up.

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    Mute Deano74
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    Mar 12th 2025, 12:03 PM

    @Phillip Smyth: TBH I’ve been watching vvd for years,his time is approaching,he is in his thirties,he has another year left in him I think,without a ready made replacement that defence would fall to sh*t without him,as a said above hés a leader,barking instruction,and more importantly those around him listen

    1
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