— -- There were fireworks between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the two candidates faced off in the first presidential debate of the general-election season, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
Clinton and Trump engaged in 90 minutes of nonstop debating, moderated by "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt, to make their case to American voters for why they should occupy the White House.
Here are the most memorable lines of the debate:
"Now, in all fairness to Secretary Clinton, yes, is that OK? Good. I want you to be very happy. It's very important to me."
Trump checked in with Clinton to make sure she was OK with him using her title of "Secretary" in the midst of criticizing her stance — and that of her husband, former President Bill Clinton — on NAFTA.
"That's called business, by the way."
Trump's response to Clinton's claim that he wished for the Great Recession and housing collapse so his company could capitalize.
"Donald, I know you live in your own reality."
In the midst of a back-and-forth disagreement over Clinton's support or lack thereof for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Clinton accused Trump of imagining her stance.
"You're telling the enemy everything you want to do. No wonder you've been fighting ISIS your entire adult life."
After Clinton claimed that, unlike Trump, she had a plan to fight ISIS, Trump made the accusation that Clinton has dealt with the current crisis in the Middle East for the length of her political career.
"I have a feeling by the end of this evening, I'm going to be blamed for everything that's ever happened."
This was Clinton’s claim after Trump attacked her over companies moving jobs out of the country. Trump’s response to Clinton’s line: “Why not?” To which Clinton said, ”Why not? Yeah, why not? Just join the debate by saying more crazy things.”
"When she releases her 33,000 e-mails that have been deleted, as soon as she releases her 33,000 e-mails, I will release my tax returns."
After a discussion about how Trump has repeatedly declined to release his tax returns until an IRS audit is completed, Trump explained what Clinton would have to do to get him to deliver them sooner. The audience broke decorum by applauding the Republican nominee. Moderator Lester Holt interjected at the conclusion of Trump’s remarks by admonishing the audience and asking for silence.
"I can only say that I'm certainly relieved that my late father never did business with you."
After sharing the story of an architect who claims he wasn’t compensated for his work on the clubhouse of one of Trump’s golf courses, Clinton invoked her father, Hugh Rodham, who owned a drapery fabric business.
"No. You're wrong."
Trump took offense after Holt responded to the candidate's praise of stop-and-frisk practices by explaining the police tactic had been ruled unconstitutional. "It went before a judge who was a very against-police judge," continued Trump. "[New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio] refused to go forward with the case. They would have won an appeal."
"I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate, and I think I did a good job."
Trump took credit for getting President Barack Obama to release his birth certificate in the midst of the birther controversy of his first term. When Holt asked the candidate why it took him so long to say Obama was born in the U.S., Trump tried to blame former surrogates of Clinton's for originating the dispute and said that after he got involved, he ended it.
"It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, OK?"
As the discussion turned to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee's emails, Trump mentioned speculation that a foreign nation — perhaps Russia or China — was behind the attack, then offered another possibility.
"I hope the fact-checkers are turning up the volume and really working hard. Donald supported the invasion of Iraq."
“Wrong,” was Trump’s immediate response to Clinton’s statement. The issue has been debated at length throughout the campaign, with fact-checkers pointing to Trump’s endorsement of military action in the country in a September 2002 interview with Howard Stern six months before the war began.
"The record shows otherwise."
When Trump claimed again that he opposed the Iraq War, Holt fact-checked the candidate.
"Whoo. OK."
Clinton was excited to speak again after Trump and Holt's testy Iraq War exchange.
"That line's getting a little bit old. I must say."
Trump's response to Clinton's oft-repeated claim that "a man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes."
"She doesn't have the look. She doesn’t have the stamina. I said she doesn't have the stamina, and I don't believe she does have the stamina. To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina."
Trump's answer after Holt asked what he meant when he said that Clinton doesn’t have "a presidential look."
"As soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease-fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities and nations around the world or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina."
Clinton's rebuttal to Trump's comments on her lack of a "presidential look."
"I certainly will support the outcome of this election.""If she wins, I will absolutely support her."
Clinton and Trump, respectively, answer the debate's final question: Will the candidates accept the results of the election as the will of the voters?
