Trump, Clinton Double Down on Their Strategies: Final Debate By the Numbers

In an election full of surprises, Wednesday’s presidential debate marked the last scheduled big moment of the 2016 campaign calendar. The candidates drew their battle lines for the final 20 days of campaigning, with Republican Donald Trump digging in on unprecedented attacks and Democrat Hillary Clinton solidifying her rhetorical lead on optimism and policy chops, according to a Bloomberg Politics language analysis of all three debates.

Clinton managed to control more of the air time in the final debate, speaking six minutes longer than Trump and fielding more questions from moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News. While Trump’s refusal to commit to accepting the eventual election result was perhaps the debate’s most significant moment, he also made history by becoming the first nominee to use the word “liar” against a general-election debate opponent. He also illustrated his penchant for interruptions and verbal barbs when he called Clinton a “nasty woman” during one of her responses.