The Republican and Democratic nominees were facing off in a town hall style contest in St. Louis, with Wikileaks, sex scandals and taxes all coming up over the hour and a half of questioning.
Lorna Shaddick reports.
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Script:
One of the most acrimonious debates in modern presidential history began without the traditional handshake.
And it was the issue on everyone's minds that came up almost immediately:
QUESTION from moderator Anderson Cooper
We've received a lot of questions online Mr Trump about the tape released on Friday, as you can imagine. You bragged that you sexually assaulted women, do you understand that?
SOT Trump
No I didn't say that at all, I don't think you understand what was said. This was locker room talk. I apologised to my family, I apologised to the American people.
Shortly before the debate, Mr Trump hosted a surprise panel with women who accuse Bill Clinton of sexual assault. After repeating his earlier apology, he launched an attack on Mrs. Clinton's husband's infidelities.
SOT Trump
If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse. Mine are words and his was action. What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation who's been so abusive to women. Hillary Clinton attacked those same women.
But she hit back, saying his remarks showed he wasn't fit to be president
SOT Clinton
I said starting back in June that he was not fit to be President and Commander in Chief. And he has aid that the video doesn't rep who he is ,but i think it's cler to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is.
But Mrs. Clinton was also pressed on an issue her campaign hasn't really been able to counter well - the Wikileaks release of speeches she gave to Wall Street bankers, when she implied she might have different public and private positions on issues:
SOT Clinton
President Lincoln was trying to convince some people, he used some arguments, convincing other people he used arguments. That was, I thought, a great display of presidential leadership.
Appearing more confident and aggressive than in the first debate, Mr Trump also spoke of his plans for Mrs Clinton if he wins the White House:
SOT Trump
I am going to instruct my Attorney General to get a special pros to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.
Overall, the Republican candidate seemed more prepared, and Mrs Clinton visibly more tense, than their first encounter.
But the tone of the debate is perhaps what viewers and listeners will remember most - two candidates who seemed to disagree about everything and weren't shy about expressing it in the strongest language..
SOT Trump: We have a divided nation because of people like her, and believe me she has tremendous hate in her heart.
SOT Clinton: It's sort of amusing to hear somebody who hasn't paid fed income taxes in maybe 20 years talking about what he's going to do.
That changed just briefly at the end when asked to name one thing they admired about one another.
SOT Clinton: His children are incredibly able and devoted and I think that says a lot about Donald
SOT Trump: She doesn't quit, she doesn't give up, and I respect that.
A brief moment of reaching across the aisle, before the spin and the pummelling begin once more ahead of the third debate in Las Vegas on 19th October.
Lorna Shaddick, New York.