President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan responded to questions from a panel of journalists on issues in the 1980 election including defense preparedness and the economy in the only presidential candidates debate with both major party candidates during the 1980 campaign. The debate included remarks by President Jimmy Carter concerning the views of his daughter Amy on arms control, which was widely criticized following the debate. The two candidates stood at separate podia to respond to the panel’s questions. During the second half of the debate, the candidates were allowed to rebut their opponent’s responses to panelists' questions.