The Note: The Debate about the Debate
— -- NOTABLES
--10 MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ushered the 2016 presidential campaign into a new phase last night -- and they did it with plenty of barbs. The two candidates faced off in their first general election debate at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, in front of what was expected to be a historic number of television viewers. Here are 10 moments that mattered at the first general election presidential debate, courtesy of ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY, SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and RYAN STRUYK: http://abcn.ws/2cYL6aN
--FACT CHECKING THE CANDIDATES: The candidates made charges about each others' records while defending their own careers and policy proposals. But were they always telling the truth? How often did Trump and Clinton spin facts to fit their arguments? ABC News fact-checked some of the most noteworthy claims made in the debate: http://abcn.ws/2cGQrno
--REGRETS? TRUMP HAD A FEW: During a phone interview this morning on "Fox and Friends," the hosts asked Trump if he had any regrets about his performance, notes ABC’s CANDACE SMITH. "Do you regret not bringing up the emails as much? You brought it up at one point," host Ainsley Earhardt asked. She followed up by asking why he did not expand his attacks on Clinton's email server or the Clinton Foundation. "I would have liked to have done that," Trump responded. "But the question weren’t – I mean, don't forget you are asked a question as to progress or something, and it's hard to get off to Benghazi sometimes the way the questions were framed. You know, you start off open a totally -- the opposite of Benghazi, and so Benghazi can't get brought up, but it was a very interesting evening. I thought it was good." http://abcn.ws/2dwfW9C
--THE DEBATE IN A MINUTE, courtesy of ABC’s TOM THORNTON and ALI DUKAKIS: http://abcn.ws/2d5fhh9 Breaking down the debate’s key moments with ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: http://abcn.ws/2dgKI4O
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Clinton used the first presidential debate to launch a full frontal attack on Trump, baiting him into fights over his personal finances, taxes, sexism, race relations, business dealings and personal honesty. If Clinton came looking for a fight, she found it. Her aggressive tone drew Trump in. He attacked Clinton right back, showing flashes of anger that channeled public frustration, and also the coarser side of his public persona. It made for some lively exchanges, including several that brought an edge to Trump’s tone. “She doesn’t have the look,” Trump said toward the end of the debate. “She doesn’t have the stamina.” Trump appeared rattled at times, particularly as the debate wore on. Yet his main attacks on Clinton were rooted in policy grounds, as he sought to give voice to public anger not just at Clinton but at the broader political class. http://abcn.ws/2cGY7pz
WHAT TRUMP IS SAYING TODAY: FORMER MISS UNIVERSE MACHADO: GAINED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT'. Trump pushed back against criticism he received from Clinton during last night's debate regarding his treatment of former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, saying "she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem." Trump made his remarks on "Fox and Friends" this morning in response to Clinton pointing out that Trump called Machado "Miss Piggy" while berating the Republican nominee's overall treatment of women, reports ABC’s MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN. "She was the winner, and, you know, she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem," Trump said of Machado. "We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her." http://abcn.ws/2dwkxIY
VEEPS ON ‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA’:
--PENCE SAYS TRUMP 'TOOK COMMAND’: Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence praised Trump's performance during last night's debate. "I think Donald Trump had a great night," he said today on "Good Morning America," adding that Trump "took command of the stage." More from ABC’s RYAN STRUYK: http://abcn.ws/2cSe9L3
--KAINE ON TRUMP’S 'WHOPPERS’: Clinton's running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, said Clinton showed her fitness to be commander in chief last night, while Trump, he said, "told some whoppers." "Hillary offered details and Donald didn’t. Hillary answered questions and Donald avoided them. Hillary told the truth and Donald told some whoppers," Kaine said today on "Good Morning America." "He just seemed rattled the longer the debate wore on. More from ABC’s KATIE KINDELAN: http://abcn.ws/2d6Edn5
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s ADAM KELSEY and VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
TRUMP, CLINTON SPAR OVER TAXES. When Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump for not releasing his tax returns and allegedly paying zero in federal income taxes, the Republican presidential nominee had just four words to say in response. “That makes me smart,” Trump said from the debate stage at Hofstra University last night. Trump has said repeatedly he is being audited by the IRS and cannot release his tax statements until the review is concluded. But during the first presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, the real estate mogul vowed to release his tax returns “against my lawyer’s wishes” if Clinton releases emails she deleted from a private server she used while she was secretary of state. ABC’s MORGAN WINSOR has more. http://abcn.ws/2cGVa8E
MOST MEMORABLE LINES OF THE FIRST DEBATE. ABC’s ADAM KELSEY highlights the most memorable lines of the first presidential debate: http://abcn.ws/2dv2rHj
WHAT CLINTON AND TRUMP SAID ABOUT RACE AT THE DEBATE. Race relations have been increasingly strained in the United States in recent months in the wake of a string of police-involved shootings and killing of several police officers and they took center stage at the first presidential debate. Moderator Lester Holt said that after the recent police-involved shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina, a fair share of Americans say that racial tensions in this country have been "amplified" to "the highest it's been in decades." Holt then asked the candidates how they planned to bridge a "very wide and bitter gap." ABC’s JULIA JACOBO has more. http://abcn.ws/2cxLzNZ
TRUMP SAYS HE HELD BACK ON BILL CLINTON'S 'TRANSGRESSIONS' BECAUSE OF CHELSEA. Donald Trump suggested that he held back on discussing former President Bill Clinton's "transgressions" during the first debate of the general election because his daughter, Chelsea, was "in the room." Speaking to ABC News' Tom Llamas in the debate spin room, ABC’s JULIA JACOBO notes, Trump said he thought he did "great" during the debate and that he got "everything" he "wanted to say" out, other than mentioning the "transgressions of Bill." "I didn't wanna say what I was going to say with Chelsea in the room," Trump told ABC News. "So, maybe they're well off to bring Chelsea all the time." http://abcn.ws/2czkYox
CLINTON SLAMS TRUMP FOR CALLING WOMEN 'PIGS, SLOBS AND DOGS.' As the first presidential debate was drawing to a close, Hillary Clinton took one last chance to hammer Donald Trump, hitting at his remarks on women. “This is a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs,” Clinton said fervently from the debate stage Monday night. Clinton brought up former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who has said that Trump regularly bullied her when he took over the pageant in 1996, allegedly calling the Venezuelan beauty contestant “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping.” According to ABC’s MORGAN WINSOR, while Trump denied some of Clinton’s allegations about his comments on women, he defended his harsh words for actor Rosie O’Donnell at last night’s debate. http://abcn.ws/2czmd78
THE SCENE -- DEBATE CREATES CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE AT HOFSTRA. The 2016 presidential race turned Hofstra University into something of a campaign carnival Monday ahead of the first debate of the general election. There was a marching band performing for cable news, cheerleaders doing routines among reporters, and college students — many of whom are going to be voting in their first election — were transported back to their childhoods with free turns in a White House-shaped bouncy castle, notes ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. The lively, fun-filled atmosphere in Hempstead, Long Island, didn’t hint at this year’s rather acrimonious political climate. http://abcn.ws/2dmQkM4
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -- THE VOTERS MOST LIKELY TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS AFTER THE DEBATE. Almost 20 percent of Americans surveyed said they could change their mind about the presidential election based on Monday’s face-off between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, according to the latest ABC News/Washington poll. In fact, 6 percent of Americans said there’s a “good chance” that the debate could swing their vote one way or another — more than the margin between the two candidates in most national polls over the last month, reports ABC’s RYAN STRUYK http://abcn.ws/2dmEAZU
IN THE NOTE’S INBOX -- FRANK LUNTZ ON THE RESULTS OF HIS FOCUS GROUPS: “Hillary Clinton came better prepared for tonight's debate than any candidate in recent memory. She knew when to attack and when to explain – and how to pace it all over 90 minutes. Donald Trump started off great for the first few questions. He had an effective refrain of slamming Clinton's "30 years" of nothing, which resonated particularly well with independent voters. For the first 15-20 minutes, Trump's numbers consistently went up whenever he railed against the current system and all its problems. Trump talked a lot about problems. But Clinton talked about solutions. … Focus group consisted of 27 participants, all undecided voters from Pennsylvania. Pre-Debate: 10 leaned toward Clinton, six leaned toward Trump, and 11 were neutral. Post-Debate: 13 leaned toward Clinton, five leaned toward Trump, and nine were neutral.”
WHO’S TWEETING?
@realDonaldTrump: The #1 trend on Twitter right now is #TrumpWon - thank you!
@stuartpstevens: The notion of the most powerful man in the world focused on Twitter trending is like Kim Kardashian as Secretary of Defense.
@MrWalterShapiro: The first Battle of the Sexes was between self-professed "male chauvinist" Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. My post-debate column. http://bit.ly/2dgHE8Z
@joshtpm: On the sniffling thing, Trump's done this in virtually every speech the entire year. People just hearing this for first time?
@mateagold: Trump this am: -raised Bill's "many affairs" -called Miss Universe weight gain "real problem" -complained about mic
