Hilary Clinton

Presidential debate: Trump says he might 'hit Hillary harder'

Mr Trump said he held back "because he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings".

In a Fox News interview, he also accused moderator Lester Holt of being tougher on him than on Mrs Clinton.

Overnight polls with small samples were split on who won, but more rigorous surveys are due in the coming days.

Initial estimates from research firm Nielsen suggest more than 80 million Americans watched the debate at home, but that figure will rise significantly when other forms of viewing are counted.

Post-debate poll: Hillary Clinton takes round one

That drubbing is similar to Mitt Romney's dominant performance over President Barack Obama in the first 2012 presidential debate.

Voters who watched said Clinton expressed her views more clearly than Trump and had a better understanding of the issues by a margin of more than 2-to-1. Clinton also was seen as having done a better job addressing concerns voters might have about her potential presidency by a 57% to 35% margin, and as the stronger leader by a 56% to 39% margin.

Clinton vs. Trump: Everything you need to know about the first debate

Perhaps we should call it "Smackdown at the Mack," since it is being held at the Hofstra University's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on New York's Long Island.

So how should you watch this D-Day of Debates? We have some tips for you:

What time does it start?

US election: Debate showdown looms for Trump and Clinton

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton will take to the stage in New York on Monday night.

The duel at Hofstra University could be the most watched debate in television history, with 100 million viewers.

There are 43 days until the election, with one poll on Monday suggesting some movement towards Mr Trump.

What Clinton and Trump's clothes tell us about them

When Hillary Clinton takes the stage at the first presidential debate, she will make history. Over the past few months the level of scrutiny faced by the first female candidate for president of the United States has ramped up: her policies, her emails, her relationships have been critiqued, dissected and analysed. And so have her clothes.

US presidential debate: Who is moderator Lester Holt?

So who is the man asking the questions - and what does he have in store?

High profile

Lester Holt's CV includes major network shows such as Dateline NBC, Today, and his current role as anchor of NBC Nightly News, which attracts millions of viewers every night.

That makes him a national celebrity, and well used to high-stakes TV.

He has already been accused of political bias, when Mr Trump labelled him a Democrat and complained about the "unfair system".

Clinton needs to stop taking a knife to a gun fight

It is a cliche that politics is a contact sport, but like most clichés, it contains a kernel of truth. Elections are brutal -- and they should be: the winner is the person who ultimately wields power. That means that you have to fight at least as hard as your opponent. Again that makes sense: if you won't fight for your own job, why should voters believe that you would fight hard for theirs?

US election 2016: George HW Bush 'to vote for Clinton'

Mr Bush allegedly made the pledge to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, niece to US ex-President John F Kennedy.

The former president's office has not confirmed the report, with a spokesman saying he was checking.

Mr Bush, who held office from 1989 until 1993, has not endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump.

 

Martha Stewart: 'I'm voting for Clinton'; Trump 'totally unprepared'

"There is so much to know and so much to learn and so much diplomacy and kindness and introspection that goes with that kind of job," Stewart told CNNMoney during a luncheon for Andrea Bocelli's foundation Sunday. "And it does not exist in the world of Donald Trump."

For Stewart, the stakes are high and the only choice is Hillary Clinton.

Obama: Sexism may be hurting Clinton

"There's a reason why we haven't had a woman president; that we as a society still grapple with what it means to see powerful women," Obama said at a DNC fundraiser in New York City. "And it still troubles us in a lot of ways, unfairly, and that expresses itself in all sorts of ways."

Obama used his short speech at the event to praise Clinton while simultaneously ripping into Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"It's an infomercial. It's a reality show," Obama said of the Manhattan businessman. "This guy is not qualified to be president."