Trump vows to hit her
harder next time
Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Hillary Clinton was calm, cool, well-prepared and -- pundits say -- victorious in the first presidential debate against Donald Trump, but her strong showing may have little impact on polls showing them in a dead heat.
Both campaigns cried victory yesterday after the sometimes nasty showdown in which the White House hopefuls sparred on the economy, crime, foreign policy and more personal issues -- like Clinton's email controversy and Trump's refusal to release his taxes.
"We had a great, great time last night," a beaming Clinton told reporters on a plane taking her to North Carolina for a renewed bout of campaigning.
"And I think people saw last night some very clear differences between us," the Democrat added.
The Republican Trump, who told AFP after the debate that it had gone very well for him, took to Twitter yesterday to claim he had won every poll from the debate "except for the little watched @CNN poll."
That was a snap survey of 521 voters that said 62 percent found Clinton the winner against 27 percent for Trump.
But a CNBC online poll had it the other way round: 35 percent for Clinton compared to 65 percent for Trump.
Trump, making his first run for public office, praised himself for not attacking Clinton about the marital infidelity of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during the debate at Hofstra University but said in a morning interview yesterday with Fox News that he may take up the attack line going forward.
"I may hit her harder in certain ways," Trump said in a telephone interview with "Fox & Friends." Trump added that when Clinton criticized him for his treatment of women, he resisted. "I was going to hit her with her husband's women. And I decided I shouldn't do it because her daughter was in the room."
Clinton brushed off Trump's vow, saying, "He can run his campaign however he chooses."
Trump himself had a high-profile affair with Marla Maples, the woman who would be his second wife while he was still married to his first wife, Ivanka Trump. He eventually divorced Maples and married his third and current wife, Melania Trump.
Trump also sought to deflect criticism of his debate performance, saying the debate moderator, Lester Holt of NBC News, asked him "very unfair questions" and that he was given a "very bad" microphone.
"Clearly Clinton was by far the most informed and skilled debater," said Steffen Schmidt, a professor of political science at Iowa State University.
"Trump did not blow up and crash and burn and he acted more presidential than expected, except at the end when he was told that he supported the war in Iraq, when he began to harangue and bluster," Schmidt added.
Michael Heaney of the University of Michigan called Clinton's performance excellent.
"She stayed focused, and on message," he said.
Clinton also had more to say than Trump, who was on the defensive, not as well prepared, addressed issues only superficially and aimed a lot of personal attacks at Clinton.
In the debate's final stretch, Trump charged that "she doesn't have the stamina. To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina."
In doing so, Trump laid himself open to a stringing retort from the former secretary of state who drew applause from the audience with her response.
"As soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world, or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina," she said.
This first of three presidential debates was watched by more than 80 million people, US media reported citing an early Nielsen tally, in a very close race for the November 8 election.
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