At the end of a bitterly fought contest, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton appeared to emerge as the winner of the first presidential debate on Monday night.

As many observers had anticipated, her opponent on the Republican side, Donald Trump, struggled to stay focused for the duration of the 90-minute one-on-one confrontation.

In a close and polarizing race, the stakes were high for both candidates as they walked on stage at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. As many as 100 million viewers in the United States alone were expected to tune in, likely breaking all records for political broadcasts. 

Clinton and Trump were both trying to reach an audience that, according to the polls, considers them the least popular presidential candidates in recent history. At the same time, they went into the debate with a wildly different set of goals and challenges, with mixed results.

Contemptuous face-off with few surprises

It turned out to be the contemptuous face-off many commentators had predicted, but there were also a few surprises. "The first 15 minutes of the debate weren't like anything I've ever seen before. The candidates were talking over each other, really over the top”, said Jacob Thompson, a debate coach and professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

As the debate unfolded, Trump kept raising his voice, interrupting Clinton and even moderator Lester Holt. "It crystallized the difference between the campaigns”, Shawn Parry-Giles told DW just minutes after the candidates answered the last question. Clinton mapped out her policy plans, whereas Trump "clearly had this emphasis on challenging her and her record”, said Parry-Giles, a professor at the University of Maryland.

The candidates used their allotted time to answer the moderator's questions - two minutes - in distinct ways. Trump often got his point across by repeating it many times over. "His message is simple, but it can be effective. Those things said over and over again can resonate", said Parry-Giles, who teaches rhetoric and politics. Clinton, being better prepared on the issues, was more verbose and "sometimes, when you give a more elaborate answer, you lose people”, she added.

Clinton's win wasn't a foregone conclusion

For campaign consultant Maclen Zilber, the most fascinating part of the debate was the first half hour. One of Clinton's challenges was to come across as likeable, relatable and authentic to voters, all while debating an unconventional and unpredictable opponent. According to Zilber, she succeeded to some extent. "In the first 30 minutes, she came across as a little scripted”, he told DW.

As for Trump, he needed to convince enough voters that he was fit for the Oval Office. "In the first 30 minutes, Trump did a very good job not looking scary, and then he started to get agitated and angry”, Zilber added.

Zilber also told DW that Clinton's win wasn't a foregone conclusion. Unlike her opponent, the Democratic nominee had to live up to sky-high expectations. She was set to outperform Donald Trump, given her broad knowledge of policy issues, experience in high office, and meticulous preparation ahead of the first of three debates.

"Two straight minutes of incoherence"

For expert debater Thompson, Hillary Clinton easily won this contest on both image and substance. "Her reaction to Trump's interruptions was very measured. She didn't take the bait and she didn't get thrown off. It was a fantastic performance”, he said.

Thompson was curious to see if Clinton would let Donald Trump have the ring. She did let go several times, and at one point Trump delivered what Thompson described as "two straight minutes of incoherence, he went from one thing to another”. He also added that there was no place to hide on the stage, and Trump didn't even try to do that. 

Besides the pressure to deliver to a high standard, Clinton, as the first woman candidate of a major party with a chance of being elected to the White House, also had to take gender dynamics into account. Because women in politics are held to a different standard, she had to be careful to strike the right tone and not to come across as too aggressive.

Thompson thought Clinton had done a superb job at that, though her detractors would call her shrill anyway. "She was tough enough, and walked that line between strong but still polite very very well. And I was also pleased in her bringing up the gender issue in the debate”, he told DW.

News anchor as fact-checker

Clinton and Trump were not the only ones under intense scrutiny on the stage. Many viewers were also keen to see how moderator and NBC News anchor Lester Holt would handle the event, particularly how he would deal with Donald Trump's frequent and well-documented misstatements.

Analysts said the general public didn't want the focus to shift from the candidates to the moderator, and it could not be expected that Holt would also serve as fact-checker. Zilber, the campaign consultant, said Holt was barely noticed and essentially left fact-checking to Clinton. "He really did the viewers a disservice when he didn't step in.” Thompson, on the other hand, thought that after a bumpy start, Holt did a good job and that his performance would be judged as adequate.

Right after the end of the debate, the news media raised questions about the possibility of Trump avoiding the two remaining debates. Thompson didn't believe that would happen. "I feel he can't back out. I would be very surprised if he did. But then I've been surprised many times this election cycle.”

The next debates will take place on October 9th at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and on October 19th at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.