When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy: Obama

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would accept the results of the elections, but only if he won, inviting criticism from President Barack Obama who said his remarks "undermined" democracy. "I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election... if I win," Trump told cheering supporters in Delaware, Ohio. "Of course I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result," he said, without elaborating what a "clear election result" or "questionable result" meant. Trump, 70, is trailing badly in the polls, especially after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. Obama slammed Donald Trump for "sowing seeds of doubt in people's minds" about the legitimacy of the election, and urged Democrats for a resounding victory to challenge his claims. "When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy," the US President said. "When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing... that is not a joking matter." At the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday, Trump said he would refuse to recognise a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton, accusing her of conspiring to rig the vote against him. Asked by a debate moderator whether he would accept the election result if he lost, Trump said, "I will keep you in suspense. I'll look at it at the time. What I've seen is so bad." Obama fired back, "There is no way to rig an election in a country this big". "You are much likelier to get struck by lightning than have somebody next to you commit voter fraud." The unusually harsh comments suggest the White House believes this deeply rancorous election is not just about defeating Trump or winning back control of Congress, but snuffing out his populist credo, AFP reported. "Calling an election rigged doesn't just undermine foundational democratic norms and principles, it also reduces voter engagement," said Adam Seth Levine, a professor of government at Cornell University. Although Trump looks set to lose the election, he is likely to gather many as 50 million votes, AFP reported. Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair. Trump and Clinton will, meanwhile, attend the same annual charity dinner in New York on Thursday, an event where the candidates traditionally engage in a "friendly roast". But the animosity between the two, who could not even shake hands during the debate, is expected to get in the way. Clinton, who is vying to become the first woman president of the United States, told the press she was "both relieved and very grateful" that the debates were now behind her. Polls show her leading by more than six points and making gains, even in states like Arizona, Texas and Georgia that have long been in the Republican column, AFP reports. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump says he will accept the 2016 election results...if he wins

After damaging footage of him making lewd remarks surfaced, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault, the&nbsp;stakes are high for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and he needs to put up a strong debate performance against Hillary clinton today.

Trump, speaking on the set of&nbsp;Days of our lives&nbsp;from 2005, was on tape saying&nbsp;saying:

&quot;I moved on her like a b*itch, but I couldn&#39;t get there. And she was married...I did try and f*ck her. She was married...just kiss. I don&#39;t even wait. And when you&#39;re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything...grab them by the p***y. You can do anything.&quot;

The list of high-profile Republicans walking away from their endorsement of their candidate, or distancing themselves further, is growing by the day.

It&#39;s in this atmosphere that the two candidates face off in their second debate ahead of Election Day, starting 9 PM local time&nbsp;at Washington University in St Louis. The debate will be in a town hall format where they will take questions from the audience.

With national media digging up evidence of his misogynistic behaviour, Trump is sure to face questions on treatment of women, but Clinton&rsquo;s running mate Tim Kaine has suggested that she intends to stick to basic issues like economy and national security.

&quot;If Donald wants to talk about something other than what voters want to talk about, that&#39;s his choice,&quot; Kaine said on CNN&#39;s State of the Union show. &quot;But I suspect that Hillary Clinton is going to talk about the things that voters really care about.&quot;

Even a winning performance by Trump, however, seems unlikely to mend the fissures he has opened in the Republican party, alarmed about the scandal&#39;s fallout in other down-ballot races.

The New York Times has reported that by late Saturday 36 Republican members of Congress and governors had disavowed Trump&#39;s candidacy.

The debate will not be easy for Clinton either as she might have to face questions on a WikiLeaks disclosure of excerpts from private speeches she gave to major banks in 2013 and 2014.

Although not as damaging as the Trump tape, the excerpts do show that she had expressed views in favour of open trade and self-regulation of the Wall Street, which are at odds with her position as a candidate.

John Podesta, a Clinton adviser from whose email account the excerpts were hacked, has said that they were taken out of context.

&quot;They are not diametrically opposed,&quot; he said on Fox News on Sunday. &quot;Again, you can pull a few words out of context, but what he said on this campaign trail is she&#39;ll be tough on Wall Street. That&#39;s exactly what she&#39;ll do.&quot;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Ahead of the debate, Trump is facing hostility after the release of a recording wherein he boasts about committing sexual assault

After damaging footage of him making lewd remarks surfaced, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault, the stakes are high for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and he needs to put up a strong debate performance against Hillary clinton today. Trump, speaking on the set of Days of our lives from 2005, was on tape saying saying: "I moved on her like a b*itch, but I couldn't get there. And she was married...I did try and f*ck her. She was married...just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything...grab them by the p***y. You can do anything." The list of high-profile Republicans walking away from their endorsement of their candidate, or distancing themselves further, is growing by the day. It's in this atmosphere that the two candidates face off in their second debate ahead of Election Day, starting 9 PM local time at Washington University in St Louis. The debate will be in a town hall format where they will take questions from the audience. With national media digging up evidence of his misogynistic behaviour, Trump is sure to face questions on treatment of women, but Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine has suggested that she intends to stick to basic issues like economy and national security. "If Donald wants to talk about something other than what voters want to talk about, that's his choice," Kaine said on CNN's State of the Union show. "But I suspect that Hillary Clinton is going to talk about the things that voters really care about." Even a winning performance by Trump, however, seems unlikely to mend the fissures he has opened in the Republican party, alarmed about the scandal's fallout in other down-ballot races. The New York Times has reported that by late Saturday 36 Republican members of Congress and governors had disavowed Trump's candidacy. The debate will not be easy for Clinton either as she might have to face questions on a WikiLeaks disclosure of excerpts from private speeches she gave to major banks in 2013 and 2014. Although not as damaging as the Trump tape, the excerpts do show that she had expressed views in favour of open trade and self-regulation of the Wall Street, which are at odds with her position as a candidate. John Podesta, a Clinton adviser from whose email account the excerpts were hacked, has said that they were taken out of context. "They are not diametrically opposed," he said on Fox News on Sunday. "Again, you can pull a few words out of context, but what he said on this campaign trail is she'll be tough on Wall Street. That's exactly what she'll do." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump faces uphill battle in second US presidential debate with Clinton

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will face off for the first time on Monday in a presidential debate that could rank as one of the most watched, highly anticipated political showdowns in US&nbsp;history.

The tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between well-known but polarizing opponents has generated wide interest in the potentially pivotal debate, which comes six weeks before the Nov. 8 election after a campaign that has stretched over more than a year.

The gap between the two candidates in recent national opinion polls has narrowed in the past week, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Clinton ahead by 4 percentage points, with 41 per cent of likely voters.

Clinton recently pulled ahead of Trump in the crucial battleground state of Florida, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Monday. If the election were held today, Clinton would defeat Trump, with an 88 per cent of reaching the 270 electoral college votes needed, according to the project, which is based on a weekly online tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans.

The debate will be the first time Clinton and Trump go toe-to-toe and the size of the television-viewing audience is expected to challenge the record of 80 million Americans who watched 1980&#39;s encounter between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. Some commentators forecast Super Bowl-sized viewership of about 100 million.

Unlike the single-party debates held during the nominating process, the audience will be asked to remain silent and not applaud or respond to the candidates&#39; answers. The debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments.

Clinton won a coin toss and chose to take the first question. She will have two minutes to answer, after which Trump will be given equal time. Trump will then be given the first question at the beginning of the next segment.

The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 pm&nbsp;(0100 GMT on Tuesday) at Hofstra University on New York state&#39;s Long Island. It is the first of three planned presidential debates.

Market jitters

The White House race has so far had little discernible effect on the stock market but it showed jitters on Monday ahead of the debate. A measure of trading volatility, known as Wall Street&#39;s &quot;fear gauge,&quot; was up 14 per cent in early afternoon trading, its biggest rise in nearly two weeks.

&quot;Investors are acting extremely nervous with regards to the debate ... and it highlights the fact that the markets are not focusing on the health of the economy, interest rates and geopolitical events,&quot; said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth.

Both Trump and Clinton, who polls show are the least liked White House candidates in modern history, hope to use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and address campaign-trail weaknesses.

The volatile Trump, a New York businessman and former reality television star, will get a chance to show a depth and steadiness worthy of a commander in chief, while the cautious Clinton will be able to try to connect directly with voters who do not trust her, strategists said.

But Trump, a political newcomer who has often shown more affinity for put-downs than policy, could benefit from lower expectations from voters.

&quot;There is no question it&#39;s a lower bar for Trump,&quot; said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist and now a political scientist at the University of Southern California. &quot;He doesn&#39;t have to be brilliant, he just can&#39;t be too bombastic.&quot;

The stakes are enormous. Clinton once had a sizable lead but that has evaporated amid more questions about her family foundation and use of a private email server while secretary of state under President Barack Obama.

A second Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed half of America&#39;s likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. More than half, 61 percent, were hoping for a civil debate and were not interested in the bitterness shown on the campaign trail.

Grudge match

Clinton, 68, and Trump, 70, have regularly exchanged sharp insults, raising the prospect of a fiery grudge match. Trump frequently refers to Clinton as &quot;Crooked Hillary&quot; and has called for her jailing for the email controversy. Clinton condemns Trump as temperamentally unfit for the White House.

Trump dominated the crowded Republican debates with rapid-fire attacks on his rivals but has no experience in a one-on-one debate setting that requires more prolonged discussion of issues.

Clinton has participated in many one-on-one debates on the national stage with Obama during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign and with US&nbsp;Senator Bernie Sanders in their Democratic nominating race earlier this year.

Clinton&#39;s camp has done its best to raise the bar for Trump, and in television interviews on Monday both campaigns tried to frame expectations.

&quot;What we don&#39;t want to have is some sort of double standard where Donald Trump can get the most improved award but Hillary Clinton ... is getting judged on the fine points of policy,&quot; Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told NBC News, calling Trump &quot;an entertainer.&quot;

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, separately on NBC, said Clinton&#39;s vast experience was unlikely to translate onto the debate stage, where Trump held an advantage.

&quot;He&#39;s not going to be robotic and scripted,&quot; she said.

The role of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News also has come under scrutiny ahead of the debate with the Clinton campaign and her Democratic supporters urging him to correct Trump if he makes false claims.

Trump also has tried to influence Holt and the moderators of the other showdowns with Clinton, saying the candidates should be the ones to correct the record.

But in a year when outsiders like Trump and Sanders have made a mark, Trump&#39;s best argument could be that he is a better agent of change than Clinton, said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican operative who is now chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

&quot;He&#39;s got to draw the contrast between Trump as the candidate of change and Clinton as the candidate of more of the same,&quot; Reed said.

Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were not invited to participate in the debate because neither had obtained at least 15 percent support in national polls, the threshold was established to qualify. 
 
(Reuters)

Clinton will have two minutes to answer the first question in the first of six 15-minute segments. Trump will have equal time after

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will face off for the first time on Monday in a presidential debate that could rank as one of the most watched, highly anticipated political showdowns in US history. The tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between well-known but polarizing opponents has generated wide interest in the potentially pivotal debate, which comes six weeks before the Nov. 8 election after a campaign that has stretched over more than a year. The gap between the two candidates in recent national opinion polls has narrowed in the past week, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Clinton ahead by 4 percentage points, with 41 per cent of likely voters. Clinton recently pulled ahead of Trump in the crucial battleground state of Florida, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Monday. If the election were held today, Clinton would defeat Trump, with an 88 per cent of reaching the 270 electoral college votes needed, according to the project, which is based on a weekly online tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans. The debate will be the first time Clinton and Trump go toe-to-toe and the size of the television-viewing audience is expected to challenge the record of 80 million Americans who watched 1980's encounter between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. Some commentators forecast Super Bowl-sized viewership of about 100 million. Unlike the single-party debates held during the nominating process, the audience will be asked to remain silent and not applaud or respond to the candidates' answers. The debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments. Clinton won a coin toss and chose to take the first question. She will have two minutes to answer, after which Trump will be given equal time. Trump will then be given the first question at the beginning of the next segment. The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 pm (0100 GMT on Tuesday) at Hofstra University on New York state's Long Island. It is the first of three planned presidential debates. Market jitters The White House race has so far had little discernible effect on the stock market but it showed jitters on Monday ahead of the debate. A measure of trading volatility, known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," was up 14 per cent in early afternoon trading, its biggest rise in nearly two weeks. "Investors are acting extremely nervous with regards to the debate ... and it highlights the fact that the markets are not focusing on the health of the economy, interest rates and geopolitical events," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth. Both Trump and Clinton, who polls show are the least liked White House candidates in modern history, hope to use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and address campaign-trail weaknesses. The volatile Trump, a New York businessman and former reality television star, will get a chance to show a depth and steadiness worthy of a commander in chief, while the cautious Clinton will be able to try to connect directly with voters who do not trust her, strategists said. But Trump, a political newcomer who has often shown more affinity for put-downs than policy, could benefit from lower expectations from voters. "There is no question it's a lower bar for Trump," said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist and now a political scientist at the University of Southern California. "He doesn't have to be brilliant, he just can't be too bombastic." The stakes are enormous. Clinton once had a sizable lead but that has evaporated amid more questions about her family foundation and use of a private email server while secretary of state under President Barack Obama. A second Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed half of America's likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. More than half, 61 percent, were hoping for a civil debate and were not interested in the bitterness shown on the campaign trail. Grudge match Clinton, 68, and Trump, 70, have regularly exchanged sharp insults, raising the prospect of a fiery grudge match. Trump frequently refers to Clinton as "Crooked Hillary" and has called for her jailing for the email controversy. Clinton condemns Trump as temperamentally unfit for the White House. Trump dominated the crowded Republican debates with rapid-fire attacks on his rivals but has no experience in a one-on-one debate setting that requires more prolonged discussion of issues. Clinton has participated in many one-on-one debates on the national stage with Obama during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign and with US Senator Bernie Sanders in their Democratic nominating race earlier this year. Clinton's camp has done its best to raise the bar for Trump, and in television interviews on Monday both campaigns tried to frame expectations. "What we don't want to have is some sort of double standard where Donald Trump can get the most improved award but Hillary Clinton ... is getting judged on the fine points of policy," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told NBC News, calling Trump "an entertainer." Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, separately on NBC, said Clinton's vast experience was unlikely to translate onto the debate stage, where Trump held an advantage. "He's not going to be robotic and scripted," she said. The role of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News also has come under scrutiny ahead of the debate with the Clinton campaign and her Democratic supporters urging him to correct Trump if he makes false claims. Trump also has tried to influence Holt and the moderators of the other showdowns with Clinton, saying the candidates should be the ones to correct the record. But in a year when outsiders like Trump and Sanders have made a mark, Trump's best argument could be that he is a better agent of change than Clinton, said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican operative who is now chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "He's got to draw the contrast between Trump as the candidate of change and Clinton as the candidate of more of the same," Reed said. Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were not invited to participate in the debate because neither had obtained at least 15 percent support in national polls, the threshold was established to qualify. (Reuters)

Clinton and Trump to face off in highly anticipated debate

Republican preidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he may hit Clinton harder&nbsp;after the Democratic nominee accused him of being racist, sexist and a tax dodger in the first of three US presidetial debates held on Monday.

&quot;I may hit her harder in certain ways,&quot; Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox &amp; Friends. &quot;I eased up because I didn&#39;t want to hurt anybody&#39;s feelings.&quot;

Clinton brushed off Trump&#39;s vow, saying, &quot;He can run his campaign however he chooses,&quot; Reuters reported.

Speaking to Fox news, Trump said that when Clinton criticised him for his treatment of women, &#39;&#39;I was going to to hit her with her husband&#39;s women.&#39;&#39; He added that he resisted brining the topic of Clinton&#39;s husband and former president Bill Clinton&#39;s marital infideltiy because &#39;her daughter was in the room&#39;.

&quot;When she hit me at the end with women, I was going to to hit her with her husband&#39;s women. And I decided I shouldn&#39;t do it because her daughter was in the room. I didn&#39;t feel comfortable doing it.&quot;

Trump reportedly had an affair with Marla Maples while he was married to his first wife, Ivana Trump. He married and eventually divorced Maples and married his current wife, Malania Trump.

The real estate Mogul defended his performance on the debate by saying that the debate moderator, Lester Holt of NBC News, asked him some &#39;hostile questions&#39;. He suggested that while he was asked tough questions, Clinton was let off easy.

&quot;He (Holt) didnt ask her (Clinton) about the emails at all, he didnt ask her about her about her scandals. He didnt ask her about the Benghazi deal that she destroyed,&quot; Trump said.

He further complained that&nbsp;had a problem with the microphone.&nbsp;&#39;&#39;I wonder if it was set up that way,&#39;&#39; Trump said. However, he added that he thought the debate went really well,&nbsp;&#39;&#39;A lot of people thought I won.&quot;

Clinton, speaking to reporters on her campaign plane, said, &quot;Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night.&quot;

A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 per cent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 per cent believed Trump was the winner, Reuters reported.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in the first US Presidential debate early Tuesday&nbsp;morning India time.

The debate was 90 minutes long, moderated by the anchor of&nbsp;NBC&nbsp;Nightly News&nbsp;Lester Holt, and divided into three sections --&nbsp;achieving prosperity, America&#39;s direction, and securing America.

The television audience for debate looks set to approach 80-million viewer record for such events set in 1980, early Nielsen viewership data cited by US&nbsp;media suggested, Reuters reported.

The next two debates are scheduled on Oct 9 in St.Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

He complained that Clinton was let off easy, 'He (the moderator) didn't ask her about lots of things that she should've been asked about'

Republican preidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he may hit Clinton harder after the Democratic nominee accused him of being racist, sexist and a tax dodger in the first of three US presidetial debates held on Monday. "I may hit her harder in certain ways," Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox & Friends. "I eased up because I didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings." Clinton brushed off Trump's vow, saying, "He can run his campaign however he chooses," Reuters reported. Speaking to Fox news, Trump said that when Clinton criticised him for his treatment of women, ''I was going to to hit her with her husband's women.'' He added that he resisted brining the topic of Clinton's husband and former president Bill Clinton's marital infideltiy because 'her daughter was in the room'. "When she hit me at the end with women, I was going to to hit her with her husband's women. And I decided I shouldn't do it because her daughter was in the room. I didn't feel comfortable doing it." Trump reportedly had an affair with Marla Maples while he was married to his first wife, Ivana Trump. He married and eventually divorced Maples and married his current wife, Malania Trump. The real estate Mogul defended his performance on the debate by saying that the debate moderator, Lester Holt of NBC News, asked him some 'hostile questions'. He suggested that while he was asked tough questions, Clinton was let off easy. "He (Holt) didnt ask her (Clinton) about the emails at all, he didnt ask her about her about her scandals. He didnt ask her about the Benghazi deal that she destroyed," Trump said. He further complained that had a problem with the microphone. ''I wonder if it was set up that way,'' Trump said. However, he added that he thought the debate went really well, ''A lot of people thought I won." Clinton, speaking to reporters on her campaign plane, said, "Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night." A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 per cent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 per cent believed Trump was the winner, Reuters reported. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in the first US Presidential debate early Tuesday morning India time. The debate was 90 minutes long, moderated by the anchor of NBC Nightly News Lester Holt, and divided into three sections -- achieving prosperity, America's direction, and securing America. The television audience for debate looks set to approach 80-million viewer record for such events set in 1980, early Nielsen viewership data cited by US media suggested, Reuters reported. The next two debates are scheduled on Oct 9 in St.Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump 'may hit Clinton harder' in next US presidential debate

Donald Trump dismissed his predatory remarks about groping women as &quot;locker room talk&quot;, and took a swipe at Hillary Clinton&#39;s husband Bill over past sexual misconduct in a fiery second US presidential debate on Sunday night.

The Democrat Hillary Clinton, facing a deeply wounded candidate with one month to go before Election Day, pushed back by saying Trump&#39;s lewd comments, caught on a&nbsp;microphone, merely showed his true self.

With tens of millions of Americans tuning in for the televised showdown, the Republican nominee may have been expected to show contrition as he seeks to move beyond the crisis triggered by the tape&#39;s release.

Instead, Trump&nbsp;attacked&nbsp;former president Clinton, present in the audience but not running for office, asserting that he has a history of abusing women, and inviting several of his accusers to attend the debate.

&quot;If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse,&quot; Trump insisted. &quot;Mine are words, his was action,&quot; he said, claiming that there has &quot;never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that&#39;s been so abusive to women.&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s words were about his actions, saying he did try to &quot;f*ck&quot; a married woman, while he himself was married.&nbsp;Clinton refused to take the bait, saying she took the advice that &quot;when they go low, you go high&quot;.

In the tense opening minutes of the showdown, Trump also clashed with Clinton on her private use of emails while secretary of state, warning that if he becomes president he will order the Justice Department to launch a special investigation into the issue.

When Clinton responded that it was &quot;awfully good&quot; that someone with Trump&#39;s temperament was not leading the nation, he shot back: &quot;Because you&#39;d be in jail.&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&nbsp;said that if he wins the election, he would have a special prosecutor to look into &quot;her situation&quot;.&nbsp;Trump is facing a make-or-break moment after his lewd boasts about sexual assault, which he made in 2005 and which became public on Friday, brought sweeping condemnation from within his own party and calls for him to step aside.

Pressed by the debate moderator who asserted that he had bragged of sexually assaulting women, the billionaire Republican denied it and lashed out:&nbsp;&quot;Certainly I&#39;m not proud of it. But this is locker room talk.&quot;

Trump&#39;s Democratic rival fired back that he has spent much of his presidential campaign denigrating women and minorities. &quot;This is who Donald Trump is, and the question for us, the question our country must answer is that this is not who we are,&quot; she said.

On the question of how to deal with the climate of Islamaphobia in&nbsp;America, Mr Trump peddled the lie that Muslims knew about the San Bernardino bombing and chose to say nothing. He said the country needs &quot;extreme vetting&quot;, and did not mention what he would do make Muslims in America feel safer or welcome.

Desperation&nbsp;

With his campaign in chaos, Trump has stepped up his attacks on former president Clinton, asserting that he has a history of abusing women.

In an extraordinary step, Trump convened a press event just moments before the debate that included several women who accuse Bill Clinton of sexual harassment and rape.&nbsp;

Introduced by Trump as &quot;very courageous women,&quot; his invited speakers included Paula Jones, a former government employee in Arkansas who sued Bill Clinton for sexual harassment, and Juanita Broaddrick, also of Arkansas, who claims that Clinton raped her in 1978.

The debate came at perhaps the most pivotal moment of the 2016 presidential race, with Trump needing a dramatic boost if he is to claw back ground against Clinton, who has surged in the polls since their first debate on September 26.&nbsp;

Clinton&#39;s campaign has dismissed Trump&#39;s sensational targeting of Bill Clinton as an &quot;act of desperation.&quot;

&quot;Republicans are leaving you,&quot; Clinton told him on the debate stage, saying his campaign was &quot;exploding.&quot;

(WION with inputs from&nbsp;AFP)

He attacked Bill Clinton, threatened to jail Hillary, and refused to answer how he'd minimise US Islamophobia

Donald Trump dismissed his predatory remarks about groping women as "locker room talk", and took a swipe at Hillary Clinton's husband Bill over past sexual misconduct in a fiery second US presidential debate on Sunday night. The Democrat Hillary Clinton, facing a deeply wounded candidate with one month to go before Election Day, pushed back by saying Trump's lewd comments, caught on a microphone, merely showed his true self. With tens of millions of Americans tuning in for the televised showdown, the Republican nominee may have been expected to show contrition as he seeks to move beyond the crisis triggered by the tape's release. Instead, Trump attacked former president Clinton, present in the audience but not running for office, asserting that he has a history of abusing women, and inviting several of his accusers to attend the debate. "If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse," Trump insisted. "Mine are words, his was action," he said, claiming that there has "never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women." Trump's words were about his actions, saying he did try to "f*ck" a married woman, while he himself was married. Clinton refused to take the bait, saying she took the advice that "when they go low, you go high". In the tense opening minutes of the showdown, Trump also clashed with Clinton on her private use of emails while secretary of state, warning that if he becomes president he will order the Justice Department to launch a special investigation into the issue. When Clinton responded that it was "awfully good" that someone with Trump's temperament was not leading the nation, he shot back: "Because you'd be in jail." Trump said that if he wins the election, he would have a special prosecutor to look into "her situation". Trump is facing a make-or-break moment after his lewd boasts about sexual assault, which he made in 2005 and which became public on Friday, brought sweeping condemnation from within his own party and calls for him to step aside. Pressed by the debate moderator who asserted that he had bragged of sexually assaulting women, the billionaire Republican denied it and lashed out: "Certainly I'm not proud of it. But this is locker room talk." Trump's Democratic rival fired back that he has spent much of his presidential campaign denigrating women and minorities. "This is who Donald Trump is, and the question for us, the question our country must answer is that this is not who we are," she said. On the question of how to deal with the climate of Islamaphobia in America, Mr Trump peddled the lie that Muslims knew about the San Bernardino bombing and chose to say nothing. He said the country needs "extreme vetting", and did not mention what he would do make Muslims in America feel safer or welcome. Desperation With his campaign in chaos, Trump has stepped up his attacks on former president Clinton, asserting that he has a history of abusing women. In an extraordinary step, Trump convened a press event just moments before the debate that included several women who accuse Bill Clinton of sexual harassment and rape. Introduced by Trump as "very courageous women," his invited speakers included Paula Jones, a former government employee in Arkansas who sued Bill Clinton for sexual harassment, and Juanita Broaddrick, also of Arkansas, who claims that Clinton raped her in 1978. The debate came at perhaps the most pivotal moment of the 2016 presidential race, with Trump needing a dramatic boost if he is to claw back ground against Clinton, who has surged in the polls since their first debate on September 26. Clinton's campaign has dismissed Trump's sensational targeting of Bill Clinton as an "act of desperation." "Republicans are leaving you," Clinton told him on the debate stage, saying his campaign was "exploding." (WION with inputs from AFP)

2nd US Presidential debate: Trump dismisses assault boasts as 'locker room talk'

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro is keeping an eye on the US presidential race, saying that Democrat Hillary Clinton &quot;discredited&quot; Republican rival Donald Trump in their first debate two weeks ago.

&quot;The first debate two weeks ago caused a stir. Mr Trump, who presents himself as having an&nbsp;expert ability, was left discredited as much as Barack (President Obama) is in his policies,&quot; wrote Fidel Castro, the father of the Cuban revolution who turned over the presidency to his brother Raul Castro a decade ago.

The ex-president&#39;s article appeared hours before Clinton and Trump hold their second debate Sunday, less than a month away from the US election on November 8.

In their first debate, on September 26, the media and analysts mainly agreed that Clinton had won.&nbsp;Their second showdown comes as Trump&#39;s White House campaign and the Republican Party as a whole were thrown in disarray over the release of videotaped lewd boasts about groping women he made in 2005.

Cuban authorities, who in 2014 began a historic diplomatic thaw with Cold War-era enemy the United States, have until now given no indication of their preference for a successor to Democrat Obama.&nbsp;But Fidel Castro&#39;s article was seen as a signal on Havana&#39;s leanings.

Clinton is openly campaigning on a continuation of the Obama warming policies with neighbouring Cuba, which resulted in the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015 after more than a half-century of chilly ties.&nbsp;Trump appears to favour a more restrained approach to the Cuban government.

A highly influential voice in the Caribbean island nation, Fidel Castro, 90, never has questioned the diplomatic strategy of his brother, who repeatedly notes his wariness toward Washington and Obama, who nevertheless was key in moving the diplomatic thawing forward.

(AFP)

'Mr Trump, who presents himself as having an?expert ability, was left discredited as much as Barack is in his policies,' wrote Fidel Castro

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro is keeping an eye on the US presidential race, saying that Democrat Hillary Clinton "discredited" Republican rival Donald Trump in their first debate two weeks ago. "The first debate two weeks ago caused a stir. Mr Trump, who presents himself as having an expert ability, was left discredited as much as Barack (President Obama) is in his policies," wrote Fidel Castro, the father of the Cuban revolution who turned over the presidency to his brother Raul Castro a decade ago. The ex-president's article appeared hours before Clinton and Trump hold their second debate Sunday, less than a month away from the US election on November 8. In their first debate, on September 26, the media and analysts mainly agreed that Clinton had won. Their second showdown comes as Trump's White House campaign and the Republican Party as a whole were thrown in disarray over the release of videotaped lewd boasts about groping women he made in 2005. Cuban authorities, who in 2014 began a historic diplomatic thaw with Cold War-era enemy the United States, have until now given no indication of their preference for a successor to Democrat Obama. But Fidel Castro's article was seen as a signal on Havana's leanings. Clinton is openly campaigning on a continuation of the Obama warming policies with neighbouring Cuba, which resulted in the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015 after more than a half-century of chilly ties. Trump appears to favour a more restrained approach to the Cuban government. A highly influential voice in the Caribbean island nation, Fidel Castro, 90, never has questioned the diplomatic strategy of his brother, who repeatedly notes his wariness toward Washington and Obama, who nevertheless was key in moving the diplomatic thawing forward. (AFP)

Fidel Castro says Clinton trumped Trump in 1st debate

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was today projected as the &quot;clear winner&quot; of the second US presidential debate, but her Republican rival Donald Trump &quot;exceeded expectations&quot;, a CNN poll said.

The CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers said &quot;Clinton was the clear winner in the debate,&quot; with 57 per cent saying Clinton won as opposed to 34 per cent for Trump.

CNN said it was a strong showing for the 68-year-old former secretary of state, but not as good as her performance at the first presidential debate, when 62 per cent of debate watchers said she won.

A CNN/ORC poll conducted after the September 27 showdown between the two presidential nominees in the first of the three debates had also shown Clinton as the clear winner, with nearly 62 per cent of voters supporting her as compared to Trump, who was deemed winner by only 27 per cent.

The results also track closely with watchers&#39; pre-debate preference.

Fifty-eight per cent of debate watchers said they were supporting Clinton before the debate.

(PTI)

The poll said 'Clinton was the clear winner in the debate', with 57% saying Clinton won as opposed to 34% for Trump

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was today projected as the "clear winner" of the second US presidential debate, but her Republican rival Donald Trump "exceeded expectations", a CNN poll said. The CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers said "Clinton was the clear winner in the debate," with 57 per cent saying Clinton won as opposed to 34 per cent for Trump. CNN said it was a strong showing for the 68-year-old former secretary of state, but not as good as her performance at the first presidential debate, when 62 per cent of debate watchers said she won. A CNN/ORC poll conducted after the September 27 showdown between the two presidential nominees in the first of the three debates had also shown Clinton as the clear winner, with nearly 62 per cent of voters supporting her as compared to Trump, who was deemed winner by only 27 per cent. The results also track closely with watchers' pre-debate preference. Fifty-eight per cent of debate watchers said they were supporting Clinton before the debate. (PTI)

Hillary Clinton won 2nd presidential debate: CNN poll