United States Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and rival Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton clashed throughout their final but bitter debate televised live early Thursday.
The candidates clashed on almost every issue ranging from refugee to abortion, experience, tax returns, hacking of emails and groping allegation in the debate monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Clinton accused Trump of promoting external influence of which she particularly mention Russian President Vladimir Putin as his personal friend.
According to her, Trump would favour a puppet leader, but said not for America.
On allegation over Russian hacking, Clinton called on Trump to condemn alleged Russian government-linked hacking against her Democratic Party.
“Finally, will Donald Trump admit and condemn that the Russians are doing this?”
Responding, however, Trump accused Clinton of a rhetorical trick, calling the Russia issue “a great pivot off the fact that she wants open borders.”
“She wants open borders,” Trump said. “People are gonna pour into our country,” he said.
Trumped showed that he had little faith in America institutions, America voters and the media, says the media has showed a high level of biased reporting.
Trump also made it clear that he won’t commit to accepting election results.
Some viewers interviewed say its damaging for Trump to feel that the election will not be free and fair.
Comparing her experience with Trump, Clinton said she towered above his opponent.
“In the 1980s, I was working to reform the schools in Arkansas. He was borrowing 14 million dollars from his father to start his businesses.
“In the 1990s, I went to Beijing and I said women’s rights are human rights. He insulted a former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, called her an eating machine.
“And on the day when I was in the Situation Room, monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, he was hosting the ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.”
On groping, Trump denied allegations from a series of women who accuse him of unwanted physical advances over a period of decades.
“Those stories are all totally false,” Trump said. “… I didn’t even apologize to my wife, who’s sitting right here, because I didn’t do anything.”
Clinton, however, brought up Trump’s personal attacks on his accusers and others.
“Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self worth, and I don’t think there’s a woman anywhere who doesn’t know what that feels like.”
On tax, Clinton also made a dig at Trump over his failure to release his tax returns.
“Half of all immigrants, undocumented immigrants, actually pay federal income tax …
“We have undocumented immigrants in America who pay more federal income tax than a billionaire.”
Clinton also attacked Trump over his accusation that Syrian refugees could be a “Trojan Horse”.
“The killer of the dozens of people at the nightclub in Orlando, the Pulse nightclub, was born in Queens, the same place Donald was born.
“So let’s be clear about what the threat is and how we are best going to be able to meet it.”
NAN reports that the third debate was adjudged the most controversial as Trump accused the media of biased coverage and poisoning the minds of American voters.
However, Reuters poll results showed that Clinton won the final debate with 52 per cent to Trump 39 per cent.
According to the results, 52 per cent of voters say no change in leadership of the poll. (NAN/dpa)