Republican nominee Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to hit rival Democrat Hillary Clinton harder in the next presidential debate after she put him on the defensive by accusing him of being racist, sexist and a tax dodger during their first matchup.
Mrs Clinton blasted Mr Trump again the day after a forceful performance in the first of three scheduled presidential debates. The New York real estate mogul, she said, "was making charges and claims that were demonstrably untrue, offering opinions that I think a lot of people would find offensive and off-putting."
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Key moments from US presidential debate
Check out key moments from the first 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Mr Trump, making his first run for public office, praised himself for not attacking Mrs Clinton about the marital infidelity of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during the debate at Hofstra University, but said in a Tuesday morning interview with Fox News that he may take up the attack line going forward.
"I may hit her harder in certain ways," Mr Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox & Friends. Mr Trump added that when Mrs Clinton criticised 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."
Mrs Clinton brushed off Mr Trump's vow, saying, "He can run his campaign however he chooses."
Mr 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, Ivana Trump. He eventually divorced Maples and married his third and current wife, Melania Trump.
Mr Trump also defended his criticism of a former Miss Universe contestant who gained weight after winning the title, saying on Tuesday it was "a real problem".
Both candidates claimed victory on social media the day after the debate. Mrs Clinton tweeted an image of herself smiling joyfully with her family captioned "When you have a really, really good night. #SheWon". Mr Trump meanwhile Tweeted a screenshot of various unscientific instant online polls that declared him the winner, saying 'Such a great honour'.
![Hillary Clinton appeared upbeat speaking with the media on board her campaign plane on Tuesday.](/web/20160930143209im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/p/w/z/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grpwwp.png/1475064748735.jpg)
The television audience for debate looks set to approach the 80-million viewer record for such events set in 1980, early Nielsen viewership data cited by US media suggested.
Mr Trump 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.
![US presidential candidate Donald Trump is frequently to the left of Hillary Clinton.](/web/20160930143209im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/p/w/z/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grpwwp.png/1475211156723.jpg)
Mrs Clinton, speaking to reporters on her campaign plane, said, "Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night."
There are two more debates scheduled, on October 9 in St. Louis and October 19 in Las Vegas.
![Former president Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton in the debate audiece.](/web/20160930143209im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/p/w/z/u/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grpwwp.png/1475064748735.jpg)
'Dark terms'
The day after the debate, Mrs Clinton highlighted what she described as Mr Trump's downbeat message.
"He talks down America every chance he gets. He calls us names. He calls us a Third World country. He talks in such dire and dark terms. That's not who America is," Mrs Clinton said.
She said that "the real point is about temperament and fitness and qualification to hold the hold the most important, hardest job in the world."
Mrs Clinton was under pressure to perform well on Monday night after a recent bout with pneumonia and an erosion in recent weeks in her lead over Mr Trump in opinion polls. One line of attack was Mr Trump's past remarks about women, a message designed to resonate with women who are still undecided about their vote and who could be pivotal in deciding the White House election.
Mr Trump, a former reality TV star who eschewed a lot of debate practice, was assertive and focused early on, interrupting Mrs Clinton repeatedly. As the night wore on, he became testy and less disciplined in front of the crowd.
A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 per cent of respondents felt Mrs Clinton won and 27 per cent believed Mr Trump was the winner.
When you have a really, really good night. #SheWon pic.twitter.com/FVeGqhYxRZ
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 27, 2016
Mr Trump complained on Tuesday that issues from Mrs Clinton's 2009-2013 tenure as secretary of state were not addressed on Monday night, including topics he has assailed her on such as her use of a private computer server for government emails, a deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, and the Clinton Foundation charity.
In signs that investors awarded the debate to Mrs Clinton, Asian shares recovered after an early bout of nerves while the Mexican peso jumped on Tuesday. US equity markets kicked off their session with a modest gain but the advance was restrained by weakness in energy stocks as oil prices fell 2.5 per cent. Mrs Clinton's chances in the election also improved in online betting markets.
'Hanging around' beauty contests'
Mrs Clinton, the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US political party, seemed to pique Mr Trump when she brought up during the debate how he has insulted women. She pointed to Alicia Machado, who won the 1996 Miss Universe title, saying Mr Trump had repeatedly insulted her.
"He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them and he called this one 'Miss Piggy' and then he called her 'Miss Housekeeping,'" she said.
Mr Trump, former owner of the Miss Universe pageants, was asked on Tuesday morning about Mrs Clinton's comments. He defended his insults of the Venezuelan-born woman who is now a US citizen.
Such a great honor. Final debate polls are in - and the MOVEMENT wins!#AmericaFirst #MAGA #ImWithYouhttps://t.co/3KWOl2ibaW pic.twitter.com/sfCEE3I5pF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2016
"She was the winner and she gained a massive amount of weight," Mr Trump said on Tuesday of Ms Machado. "And it was a real problem. We had a real problem. Not only that - her attitude - and we had a real problem with her."
Mrs Clinton, 68, relentlessly sought to raise questions about her opponent's temperament, business acumen and knowledge.
Mr Trump, 70, used much of his time to argue the former first lady and US senator had achieved little in public life and wanted to pursue policies begun by President Barack Obama that he said have failed to repair a shattered middle class, with jobs lost to outsourcing and excessive government regulation.
Reuters, Fairfax Media
DEBATE BY NUMBERS
2: Times Donald Trump used his catch phrase 'Make America Great again'
43: Times Trump spoke over Clinton
5: Times Hillary Clinton spoke over Trump
42: Per cent of the time Clinton spoke
58: Per cent of the time Trump spoke
13: Times Trump used the word "tremendous"
2: Times Clinton used the phrase "trumped-up"
90: Minutes scheduled for the debate
95: Minutes the debate actually went for
4: Times Trump denied he said climate change was a hoax created by China
85,273: Number of times Donald Trump's November 2012 tweet, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese", had been retweeted by Tuesday afternoon. Twitter announced it was the most-retweeted during the debate.