# The Mute Button 2020 Presidential Debate > The Mute Button 2020 Presidential Debate is a 2020 Twitter reaction meme spawned by the microphone mute button introduced during the October 22 Trump-Biden debate, featuring jokes about the operator sleeping, getting kidnapped, or otherwise failing to use it. The Mute Button refers to a wave of memes on Twitter surrounding the introduction of a microphone mute function during the final 2020 U.S. Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on October 22, 2020. After the chaotic first debate was widely criticized for constant interruptions, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that a mute button would silence each candidate's mic during the other's two-minute opening statements[1]. When the actual debate aired and the button was barely used, Twitter exploded with jokes about the "mute button guy" sleeping on the job, getting kidnapped, or otherwise failing to do the one thing everyone was counting on[4]. ## Origin The first presidential debate on September 29, 2020 was widely described as a disaster. Trump interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace over a hundred times, turning the event into what multiple outlets compared to an episode of the Jerry Springer Show[1]. Viewers called for some mechanism to enforce speaking time in future debates. On October 19, 2020, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced it would implement a mute button for the third and final debate, scheduled for October 22 at Belmont University in Nashville[3]. The rule was specific: each candidate's microphone would be cut during the other's two-minute opening statement on each of six topics[1]. After those opening statements, both mics would stay live with no planned muting during open discussion[6]. The announcement immediately set Twitter on fire. On October 20, users began tweeting reactions, some expressing enthusiastic support and others questioning whether the button would actually be used[5]. Jon Cooper's tweet supporting the mute button picked up over 11,000 likes in three days[5]. On October 21, Twitter user Bob Geiger posted a photoshopped image referencing the mute button that drew over 4,600 likes[5]. - **Platform:** Twitter - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created) - **Date:** 2020 ## Overview The Mute Button meme took two distinct forms. Before the October 22 debate, Twitter users and late-night hosts speculated about whether a mute button could actually stop Donald Trump from interrupting, with many expressing skepticism that any technical solution could contain the chaos[7]. After the debate, the meme shifted: viewers who had tuned in expecting satisfying silencing moments were disappointed to learn the button only applied to the first two minutes of each topic segment. The result was a flood of reaction images, GIFs, and tweets mocking the unseen "mute button operator" for apparently doing nothing[3]. Most of the memes used familiar reaction templates. Homer Simpson sleeping in a chair, frantic button-pressing GIFs, and mock "breaking news" posts about the mute button operator being kidnapped or showing up late to work[4]. The format was simple: express disappointment that the mute button didn't deliver on its promise. ## How It Spread Late-night hosts jumped on the mute button announcement before the debate even happened. Stephen Colbert joked on The Late Show that Trump could "just interrupt Biden by walking over to his podium," adding that "the Debate Commission is also putting him on a child leash"[7]. Trevor Noah predicted Trump would "just shout" or "walk over to Biden and use his mic"[7]. Jimmy Kimmel compared the mute button to "the exact same strategy his daughter's kindergarten teacher deployed to manage an unruly Zoom class"[7]. Jimmy Fallon summed up the situation: "That's the current state of our politics. We need a mute button"[7]. During the actual debate on October 22, the mute button turned out to be almost irrelevant. According to The Cut, the button appeared to be used only once, roughly 56 minutes in, when Trump ran over his allotted time discussing healthcare[6]. "We are going to do an incredible job on health care, and..." Trump said before being plunged into silence. Long seconds passed before he even noticed[6]. George Stephanopoulos estimated on ABC that the mute function was deployed "at least four times," though many viewers caught only the one instance[2]. The real story was that both candidates, especially Trump, mostly restrained themselves. Whether because of the button's threat or the terrible reviews from the first debate, interruptions dropped dramatically[4]. Trump was notably well-behaved early on, even complimenting moderator Kristen Welker: "So far, I respect very much the way you're handling this"[4]. But Twitter wasn't interested in restraint. The Daily Show's account posted that the "mute button guy" showed up late to the debate, collecting over 22,000 likes within 15 hours[5]. User JuSLIKEMIKE911 posted "The person in charge of the mute button:" over an image of Homer Simpson asleep in a chair, picking up over 6,300 likes[5]. Multiple users shared GIFs of frantic button-pressing and mock "leaked footage" of the mute button operator being kidnapped[3]. Rosie Perez tweeted "What the hell happened to the mute button?" and Henry Winkler posted "MUTE BUTTON:: ALL talk NO action"[2]. By October 23, the meme had been covered by News18, The List, The Cut, and the Daily Mail, all rounding up the best tweets[6]. CNET declared "Who muted the mute button?" as the latest 2020 presidential debate meme[2]. ## How to Use The mute button meme typically followed one of a few patterns: 1. **The sleeping operator:** Post a reaction image of someone sleeping or distracted (Homer Simpson, a bored office worker) with the caption "The person in charge of the mute button" 2. **Where is it?:** Share a GIF of someone frantically searching for something with text about looking for the mute button during the debate 3. **The conspiracy:** Post a joke about the mute button operator being kidnapped, bribed, or otherwise prevented from doing their job 4. **The letdown:** Express disappointment that the mute button didn't deliver the schadenfreude everyone was hoping for ## Cultural Impact The mute button discourse reflected a broader 2020 election anxiety. The fact that a basic audio toggle became the most anticipated element of a presidential debate said a lot about where American political discourse stood that year[1]. Slate noted that implementing a mute button was the Commission on Presidential Debates "trying to assert its authority" after decades of norms being ignored[1]. The Daily Mail reported that roughly 200 people were allowed inside the debate hall, with a single Commission representative controlling the mute function backstage, monitored by representatives from both campaigns[4]. The elaborate setup for what turned out to be a barely-used feature only added to the comedy. Late-night coverage of the mute button dominated the pre-debate news cycle so thoroughly that Rolling Stone published a dedicated roundup of late-night hosts' jokes about it[7]. The meme also spawned a meta-conversation about whether the mere threat of muting was more effective than actual muting, since both candidates did tone down their behavior[6]. One Twitter user captured a sharp observation about Trump's speaking style that went viral alongside the mute button jokes: "Look. He's been trying to answer, but listen it takes a lot, it takes a lot, and when you have to answer, what do you expect, he knows this, we all know it, even more than that, you know, he, he, and you know it's the best and we've been there, a million times!"[2] ## Fun Facts - The Daily Mail compared the mute button hanging over the debate to "a sword of Damocles," noting that its mere presence may have been enough to keep both candidates in line[4]. - Jimmy Kimmel joked that if the mute button failed, moderator Kristen Welker would have "a water spritzer to spray the candidates," adding "It's more humane"[7]. - One Twitter user pointed out that Trump had been silenced once before, in 2016, "by a Black woman pastor"[2]. - The plexiglass barriers originally planned for the debate stage were removed hours before it began after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said they would only provide "a false sense of security"[4]. - Stephen Colbert compared the relief of the final debate ending to getting a wisdom tooth removed: "Yes, it hurt. Yes, we can still taste the blood in our mouths," but at least it's over[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Mute Button (2020 Presidential Debate) meme? A series of jokes and reaction images on Twitter about the mute button introduced for the final 2020 presidential debate between Trump and Biden. The memes focused on expectations vs. reality, since the button was barely used during the actual event[5]. ### Where did the Mute Button meme come from? It originated on Twitter in October 2020 after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on October 19 that a mute function would be used during the final debate on October 22[1]. ### What does the Mute Button meme mean? The meme expresses collective disappointment that the mute button didn't deliver on its promise of silencing interruptions. Most jokes target the "mute button operator" for supposedly sleeping on the job or not pressing it enough[3]. ### How do you use the Mute Button meme? Pair a reaction image of someone sleeping, searching frantically, or failing at their job with a caption about the person in charge of the mute button. The humor comes from the gap between hype and reality[5]. ### Is the Mute Button meme still popular? No. The meme was tightly bound to the October 2020 debate cycle and faded almost immediately after the election. It was a flash-in-the-pan political meme with a lifespan of about a week[2]. ### Why was a mute button added to the 2020 debate? The first debate on September 29 was widely seen as chaotic, with Trump interrupting Biden and moderator Chris Wallace over a hundred times. The Commission on Presidential Debates added the mute function to guarantee each candidate two uninterrupted minutes per topic[1]. ### How many times was the mute button actually used? Estimates vary. The Cut counted only one clear instance, about 56 minutes into the debate, when Trump's mic was cut while discussing healthcare[6]. ABC's George Stephanopoulos estimated it was used "at least four times"[2]. ### What did late-night hosts say about the mute button? Colbert, Noah, Kimmel, and Fallon all made jokes before the debate. Colbert suggested Trump would just walk to Biden's podium. Kimmel compared it to managing a kindergarten Zoom class. Fallon quipped: "That's the current state of our politics. We need a mute button"[7]. ### Who was operating the mute button? An anonymous representative of the Commission on Presidential Debates, supervised backstage by members of both the Trump and Biden campaigns[4]. ### Did the mute button actually work as intended? In a sense, yes. While the button was rarely pressed, its presence appeared to deter both candidates from the level of interruption seen in the first debate. Whether this was due to the button itself or bad press from the first debate is debatable[6]. ## References 1. [Presidential debate gets a mute button for Trump and Biden.]() 2. [Twitter Declares A Surprising Loser Of The Presidential Debate]() 3. [In Final Battle Between Trump and Biden Interrupted by Muted Mic, Memes Were the Real Winner | Buzz News - News18]() 4. [The Mute Button (2020 Presidential Debate) - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of Internet phenomena]() 6. [Last Presidential Debate: Mute Button Arguably Underused]() 7. [Late-Night Hosts Joke About Mute Button at Next Trump, Biden Debate]() 8. [Debates 2020: Memes joke that mute button was a 'myth' after it was barely used | Daily Mail Online]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/the-mute-button-2020-presidential-debate Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library