Live coverage of the heated confrontation between Trump and Clinton.

The two US presidential candidates, Clinton and Trump, will participate in their first live debate at 9 PM ET, which is 8 AM Hanoi time this morning.

The focus of the debate revolved around the themes of America's direction, achieving prosperity for America, and protecting America.

Regarding NATO

"You have to understand, I'm a businessman. I think if we're protecting them, they should at least pay us," Trump said about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Clinton mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Clinton said she knew "Donald was very complimentary of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin... I was shocked that Donald publicly invited Putin to cyberattack Americans," referring to Trump's call for hackers to recover her deleted emails.

Trump referred to "super-exploiters."

"I think it's a terrible thing to say," Trump said, referring to Clinton's use of the term "super-exploiters" years ago to describe some young Black men. Clinton, in a debate with Democrat Bernie Sanders earlier this year, said she shouldn't have used the phrase and would never repeat it.

Trump continues to defend his "check and touch" policy.

Clinton did not directly respond to the "super-exploiters" comment. She said, "There should be no objection to respecting the rights of those young people," and went on to state that "stop-and-grab" measures are ineffective in New York.

Clinton counterattacks

Referring to two campaign stops in Philadelphia and Detroit, Trump criticized Clinton for staying home and resting while he was still campaigning.

However, Clinton cleverly responded, "I think Donald just criticized me for spending time preparing for this debate. Yes, that's right, I did. And do you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president."

Clinton attacks Trump. Trump sighs.

"What's truly regrettable is that he paints a negative picture of the Black community in our country," Clinton said on the issue of race.

Mr. Trump let out a loud sigh and made an incredulous face.

"Black businesses provide jobs for so many people, and those are opportunities for many families to work and secure a better future for our children," Clinton said.

Clinton also responded to the topic of law and order. "We must always ensure that our citizens are safe. There are the right ways to do this, but there are also ways that don't work. Asking someone to stop and searching them for weapons is unconstitutional. And it's not effective either."

Trump and Clinton address the issue of race.

Host Holt asked Trump and Clinton about the Black Lives Matter movement, the fight against inequality, and police shootings of African Americans.

"Everyone needs to be respected by the law, and they also need to respect the law," Clinton said, noting that gun control helps end violence related to these weapons.

Trump said Clinton shouldn't use the words "law and order" and should bring back the "stop-and-seek" policy, which helps security personnel determine if a person being stopped is carrying a weapon.

Holt questioned Trump about the "stop-and-touch" policy being deemed unconstitutional in New York. Trump called it a "very anti-police" ruling, but the new mayor did not object.

"Some argue that it's a form of racism," Holt said.

"No, the problem is we have to take guns away from the bad guys," Trump replied.

Blaming Hillary Clinton for the rise of ISIS.

Trump claimed that the former US Secretary of State was responsible for the rise of the Islamic State (IS). "She fought IS her entire adult life," he said.

In fact, Clinton is currently 68 years old. ISIS only emerged in 2009, although the group has its roots in the Sunni terrorist group al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was founded in 2004.

"Disadvantaged" because of Donald Trump

"Perhaps it's because he never paid any federal income taxes for years," Clinton said, to applause from the audience. "I've met so many people who have been wronged by his business dealings, people he refused to pay, Donald."

She said that there was an architect in the audience who hadn't been paid by Trump.

Trump responded: "Maybe it's because he's not doing a good job."

Trump incites unrest over TPP.

Donald Trump appeared agitated, raised his voice, and interrupted Hillary Clinton while she was speaking.

Clinton argued that trade is not a complete economic policy. Trump criticized her for initially supporting the TPP trade agreement and then opposing it as it neared completion.

"She calls that the gold standard?", Mr. Trump said.

"Donald, I know you're living with your own reality," Clinton replied, trying to explain her inconsistencies regarding the TPP.

Photo: Reuters

Clinton talks about email.

Clinton responded to Trump's attacks on her use of a personal email account while she was Secretary of State.

"I'm not making excuses," she said. "I will take responsibility for this."

A group of Donald Trump supporters watch the debate in Ohio. Photo: Reuters

Clinton supporters outside Hofstra University in New York. Photo: Reuters

Taxes and email

Regarding his personal tax records, Trump said: "I will release my tax records, contrary to the wishes of my personal lawyer, who publicly released 33,000 deleted emails."

Clinton hypothesized that Trump might not be as wealthy as he claims, or that he might not be paying federal taxes.

"He's hiding something," Clinton said.

Arguing over agreements

Clinton and Trump debated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed by former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton's husband.

Trump: "Your husband signed NAFTA, and it was the worst trade deal ever signed. And now you want to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)... It will be just as bad as NAFTA..."

Clinton: "Donald, you're living with your own reality."

Trump: "She doesn't have any plans."

Former President Bill Clinton and his daughter chat while watching the debate. Photo: Reuters

Climate change is a "hoax".

Clinton reiterated that Trump had once said "climate change is a hoax created by China."

Trump countered, "I didn't say that," although he had mentioned it in a 2012 Twitter post.

Hillary talks about the housing crisis.

Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump for his past statements suggesting he supported the collapse of the housing market.

Mrs. Clinton. Photo: Reuters

However, the New York billionaire intervened and justified it by saying, "It's part of doing business."

Clinton continued to address the unemployment situation in the US and affirmed her commitment to focusing on what needs to be done to improve the situation. She stated that 9 million people have lost their jobs, 5 million have lost their homes, and $13 trillion has been lost in the crisis.

Mr. Trump. Photo: Reuters

The two candidates enter the debate. Photo: Reuters

The Trump family watched the debate from the front row. Photo: Reuters

Clinton and Trump debated plans to boost the American economy.

Donald Trump delivered the opening speech at the debate. He accused China of devaluing its currency and causing job losses in the United States.

"According to my plan, the tax will be reduced from 35% to 15%," Mr. Trump said.

The two candidates shook hands before the debate. Photo: Reuters

The two candidates shook hands before the debate. Photo: Reuters

The bipartisan Presidential Debate Commission selected Lester Holt of NBC to moderate the debate. Holt chose the topics and presented them to the commission, including "The Way America Should Go," "Achieving Prosperity," and "Protecting America."

These three themes encompass a wide range of areas and can relate to economics, national security, domestic policy, or the environment. They also allow Holt to keep the debate as flexible as possible and choose questions related to recent news.

The debate is divided into six 15-minute segments, with each topic occupying two segments, and time may be extended depending on the topic. Holt will begin with a question, and each candidate has two minutes to respond without being interrupted by an opponent.

The next debate will be between the two vice presidential candidates, Tim Kaine of the Democratic Party and Mike Pence of the Republican Party, on October 4th at Longwood University in Virginia. Trump and Clinton will debate in person a second time on October 9th at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the final one at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on October 19th.

Two US presidential candidates. Photo: Reuters.

Approximately 100 million Americans are expected to watch this historic debate between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on television, mobile phones, and social media, CNN reports.

The billionaire and former US Secretary of State will debate live without relying on any written agreement outlining the terms between the two sides. Such agreements, previously used in debates, stipulated everything from the height of the podium to the topics and time limits for each question.

According to a newly released CNN poll across the United States, Clinton is leading Trump by a narrow margin of 44% to 42%.

"We want the candidates to be judged fairly. Do they have a concrete plan to make people's lives better?" said Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager.

Meanwhile, Mike Pence, Trump's vice presidential candidate, said the debate was an opportunity for the two rivals to present themselves directly to voters.

"When two people take the stage together for the first time, there's no media attention, no wordplay. Americans are about to hear from two candidates and hear about two choices for the future of this country," Pence said.

According to Aaron Kall, an expert at the University of Michigan, this fascinating debate is unprecedented and likely will never be repeated.

According to VNE