Kennedy's campaign advisors had been busy beforehand, fooling around with the lecterns. They made Nixon's a little lower and they put a bright white light on it that made him look pale and pasty faced. His popularity dropped heavily after the debate.
甘迺迪的競選幕僚也事先設計，在講台上做手腳，讓尼克森的講台矮一截，並在他的講台正上方裝了一盞強烈的白色燈光，使尼克森看來臉色慘白，如此一來，使得尼克森在辯論後聲勢大跌。