The Note: Debate Day After: ‘Suspense’

ByABC News
October 20, 2016, 9:18 AM

— -- NOTABLES

--SEVEN MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off on a debate stage for the last time of this presidential election cycle, and the candidates were clearly primed for the fight. The Republican and Democratic presidential contenders took the stage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for their third and final debate less than three weeks before voters will head to the polls across the country. From abortion rights to the Second Amendment to the battle against the Islamic State, the candidates clashed on matters of policy -- foreign and domestic. They even differed on whether they will accept the results on Nov. 8, with Trump saying he would take a wait-and-see approach and Clinton calling that horrifying. Now, as election season officially moves into its final stretch, ABCs SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, MEGHAN KENEALLY, VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and RYAN STRUYK wrap up the biggest moments from last nights debate: http://abcn.ws/2drAT42 MOST MEMORABLE LINES courtesy of ABCs ADAM KELSEY: http://abcn.ws/2evy4kw

--TRUMP: 'I'LL KEEP YOU IN SUSPENSE': When Donald Trump was asked if he will accept the outcome of the election, and if he loses, concede to the winner, the real estate mogul refused to say. "I will tell you at the time," said Trump, who has frequently discussed voter fraud and a "rigged" system. "I'll keep you in suspense, okay?" Trump told moderator Chris Wallace, ABCs EMILY SHAPIRO notes. Hillary Clinton responded, "That's horrifying." http://abcn.ws/2eTsrQb

--FACT CHECKING THE CANDIDATES: The final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in Las Vegas started out as a policy discussion, but quickly erupted into a boxing match between the two candidates over issues from Clinton's emails to tax returns. The showdown came as Trumps campaign has been consumed by allegations of sexual misconduct -- allegations he vehemently denied -- and Clinton is grappling with the fallout from the publication of her campaign chairmans email archives by WikiLeaks. The ABC News Fact Check team takes a closer look at the candidates claims: http://abcn.ws/2ekcCjI

--ANALYSIS --ABCs RICK KLEIN: The incoming from Hillary Clinton was fierce. And it came in the way of details -- plus deft maneuvers that left Donald Trump largely playing defense at the final presidential debate. Clinton didnt come to the final debate to protect a polling lead, or to seek a soaring message to close out the campaign. She came to make a case against Trump -- a case she backed up with facts, including Trumps own words, and a litany of alleged actions. At one point, she listed some of the various individuals that Trump has insulted -- including, of course, the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger, Clinton said. Its really up to all of us to demonstrate who we are, and who our country is. Trump issued a blanket denial about those women: I didnt even apologize to my wife, whos sitting right here, because I didnt do anything. Trump sought to bring the argument back to Clinton. He repeatedly accused her of what he called criminal acts -- deleting emails, inciting violence at his own rallies and running a criminal enterprise at the Clinton Foundation. Yet, Trump rarely managed to piece together a forceful argument against Clinton amid scattershot on the stage. http://abcn.ws/2e9LA1E

 

TODAY ON GMA -- KAINE CALLS TRUMP'S REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO ACCEPTING ELECTION RESULTS 'SHOCKING'. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine declared that the "starkest moment" of last night's third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas was when Trump refused to commit to accepting the results of his presidential race against Hillary Clinton. "I thought that was probably the starkest moment of the debate because its so out of character with our democratic traditions," Kaine, Clinton's running mate, said today on "Good Morning America." "It was shocking." More from ABCs KATIE KINDELAN: http://abcn.ws/2enhrXU

--TRUMP JUST WANTS A 'FAIR SHOT' AT WINNING, CAMPAIGN MANAGER SAYS. Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway defended the Republican presidential candidate's refusal to say during Wednesday night's debate whether he will accept the election results. "He just wants a fair shot," Conway told ABC's "Good Morning America." "You know, if you're Donald Trump, you dont get a fair shot most days." More from ABCs MORGAN WINSOR: http://abcn.ws/2ewQFws

 

DEBATE WRAP

--TRUMP SAYS HE WILL GET 'BAD HOMBRES' OUT OF THE COUNTRY. Trump raised eyebrows by saying that he wanted to get the "bad hombres" out of the United States during a discussion about immigration. Moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump and Hillary Clinton to detail their plans to secure the southern U.S. border, saying there is "almost no issue that separates" the two candidates more, ABCs JULIA JACOBO reports. Trump said one of his "first acts" as president would be to "get all of the drug lords" out of the country. "We have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out," Trump said. http://abcn.ws/2e9ENow

--TRUMP CALLS CLINTON A 'NASTY WOMAN'. Trump called Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" as the two presidential candidates were discussing their plans for when programs like social security and Medicare run out, with Clinton emphasizing, "We need to put more money into the social security trust fund. ABCs JULIA JACOBO has more. http://abcn.ws/2dPRjnF

--TRUMP SAYS HIS ACCUSERS ARE SEEKING THEIR 10 MINUTES OF FAME. Trump has said that the women who've accused him of sexual misconduct in recent days are looking for "fame," ABCs JULIA JACOBO writes. During the debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked Clinton and Trump to discuss their "fitness to be president of the United States." Wallace then mentioned the women who have come forward since the last debate to accuse Trump of either groping or kissing them without their consent. "Why would they all make up these stories?" Wallace asked, to which Trump responded, "Those stories have been largely debunked." "I don't know those people," Trump said, adding that he believes Clinton's "sleazy" campaign "started [it]." http://abcn.ws/2elRYSS

 

YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABCs ADAM KELSEY

PENCE SAYS NOT ENOUGH VOTER FRAUD TO CHANGE ELECTION OUTCOME. Donald Trumps running mate Mike Pence doesnt think voter fraud will sway the outcome of the election -- despite the GOP presidential nominee warning of a "rigged" system. I dont think thats the case, honestly, he said, when asked on Fox if he believes voter fraud will be consequential on Election Day, writes ABCs INES DE LA CUETARA. His comments on Wednesday night mark a departure from his running mate, who has repeatedly said that the election is rigged. http://abcn.ws/2em0Cwj

NEW EMAIL BETWEEN CLINTON AND IT STAFFER WHO PLEADED FIFTH. An email has surfaced between Hillary Clinton and her IT specialist Bryan Pagliano, the man responsible for maintaining her private email server -- and critics say that it may undermine her claim that she could not recall communicating with him. The note was one of the nearly 15,000 additional emails recovered by the FBI, published today by the conservative group Judicial Watch, which obtained it through a freedom of information lawsuit. The content of the 2012 email is mundane: Clinton is asking Pagliano to fix her BlackBerry, which has receiving message; but it may be significant in other ways, notes ABCs JUSTIN FISHEL. http://abcn.ws/2dovLCy

TEACHERS ARE FINDING THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TOPICS TOUGH TO EXPLAIN. Elections are commonly used by teachers to show students examples of democracy in action. But with the sensitive and often controversial topics raised in this presidential cycle, some teachers are finding the debates difficult to discuss. Gina Daniels, a high school social studies teacher in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, told ABC News that some of her students are "afraid to even address the topic" of the election. A particularly difficult moment came after the second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. ABCs MEGHAN KENEALLY has more: http://abcn.ws/2euj32d

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

THE MEANING BEHIND CLINTON'S WHITE DEBATE NIGHT PANTSUIT. Without saying any words, Hillary Clinton sent a message to voters the moment she walked onto the stage at Wednesday night's presidential debate in Las Vegas. Or rather the Democratic presidential candidate's white Ralph Lauren pantsuit sent the message, ABCs DAVID CAPLAN writes. "The choice of a white suit for Wednesdays debate harkened back to the not-so-distant past, when suffragettes wore white to promote their struggle to gain the right to vote," Booth Moore, senior fashion editor for The Hollywood Reporter and Pret-a-Reporter, told ABC News moments after Clinton took to the debate stage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. http://abcn.ws/2evH1dB

 

WHOS TWEETING?

@RNicholasBurns: It is unprecedented that a Presidential candidate--Trump--would side with Russia on a key national security issue. Shameful.

@BryanLowry3: I conducted interview w/ Kobach hours before Trump said he might not accept election results #ksleg #Election2016 http://bit.ly/2eb9nht

@HeidiPrzybyla: GOP in damage control. @Reince says @realDonaldTrump not honoring election just in case they need a recount. 'Promise this is all that is.'

@dcexaminer: Frank Luntz focus group splits over who won the final debate http://washex.am/2euNPXB 

@amyewalter: If nothing else, this race has given us great Halloween costumes: basket of deplorables, Nasty women, bad hombres, cloth for "wiping server"