Clinton bests Trump in first face-to-face debate

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton emerged victorious over her Republican rival, Donald Trump, during the first face-to-face debate broadcast live, according to the results of a snap poll.

A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 percent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 percent believed Trump was the winner of the Sept. 26 debate during which Clinton accused Trump of racism, sexism and tax avoidance, thus putting him on the defensive. 

Trump, a real estate tycoon making his first run for public office, said Clinton's long years of service represented "bad experience" with few results and said she lacked the stamina to serve as commander-in-chief. 

Clinton was under pressure to perform well after a bout with pneumonia and a drop in opinion polls, but her long days of preparation appeared to pay off in her highly anticipated first 90-minute standoff with Trump. 
Trump, a former reality TV star who eschewed a lot of debate practice, was strong early on but appeared to become repetitive and more undisciplined as the night wore on in front of a televised audience that might have reached upwards of a record 100 million people. 

Opinion polls have shown the two candidates in a very tight race, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Clinton ahead by 4 percentage points with 41 percent of likely voters. 

A second Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sept. 26 showed half of America's likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. 

Trump said Clinton did not have the endurance to be president but avoided mentioning her bout this month with pneumonia. 

"She doesn't have the look, she doesn't have the stamina," he said. 

Clinton retorted: "As soon as he travels to...