Yesterday evening, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump held the second presidential debate of 2016. The pair, who have been running (mostly) neck-and-neck in the polls, took to the stage at Missouri’s Washington University in a last-ditch attempt to sway the undecided voters of America. Like the previous debate, the event was hotly anticipated. Not least because – just two days before – an 11-year-old tape had been leaked revealing Trump’s grim attitude towards “beautiful” women. “I just start kissing them,” the Republican nominee was recorded saying. “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

For most people, these kinds of comments would probably be enough to completely disqualify a candidate. Unfortunately, this is 2016. If we’ve learnt anything from this steaming shit of a year, it’s that anything can – and probably will – happen. How else could a reality TV star with no political proficiency be inches away from the most powerful office in the world? How, after everything he’s done and said over the years, could he ever be able to go the whole distance? Will it actually happen? We look back on one of the most dramatic political events of the last 12 months to try and figure it out.

THE EVASION

Last night, both parties indulged in some seriously shameless political evasion. The details behind both the Democratic and Republican policies was left by the wayside in favour of personality-focused sniping. Clinton, when asked about the examples she was setting and her email scandals, delivered long-winded and meandering speeches packed with well-rehearsed buzzwords. Trump, in a less subtle move, decided to swerve from ‘pussy-gate’ to ISIS in two swift sentences. “It’s locker room talk, and it’s one of those things,” he dismissed. “I will knock the hell out of ISIS. We’re going to defeat ISIS.”

THE PAINFULLY LOW BLOWS

...Where to even begin here? How about the bit where Trump called Clinton “a devil” who had a “tremendous amount of hate in her heart”?  What about the moment he threatened her with jail? Or what about his decision to bring out three women who had all accused her husband, Bill Clinton, of sexual assault? Yeah, that was good wasn’t it? Heartwarming stuff. I am definitely not depressed right now.

TRUMP’S VOICE

One of the worst things on this earth. Has anyone ever notice how he puts on this really quiet, whispery voice when he’s done something awful? Like, he knows that bragging about sexually assaulting women was probably not the best idea, and now he’s regretful. That’s why his voice – normally so incessant and droney – has suddenly got all breathy and measured. “(I want to make things) better for the African-American citizens that are so great, and for the Latinos, Hispanics,” he crooned in his introductory speech. “It's called make America great again.” 

TRUMP’S FACE

Orange, moist.  

THIS FLY

THE CASUAL RACISM

Trump’s strange and alienating attitude towards Muslims, “the African-Americans” and the “Latinos, Hispanics” was tamer than usual last night, but still on full display. The billionaire businessman seemed to be convinced that all US black people were exclusively confined to poverty-stricken “inner cities”, and also refused to address the growing Islamophobia within the country. Instead, he shirked off responsibility onto the Muslim community, who (he claimed) should be reporting the problems “when they see them”. Clinton’s response to this issue was only slightly better, with the Democratic nominee adding that “we need American Muslims to be our eyes and ears on the front lines.”

NIGEL FARAGE, WHO WAS IN THE AUDIENCE FOR SOME REASON

The UKIP leader, who attended after reportedly offering Trump some guidance on debate tactics, was around after the event to share his thoughts on the evening. This included, in one particularly nauseating segment, calling Trump a “silverback gorilla”. “He took control,” Farage told reporters. “He dominated Hillary Clinton. She was very much on the back foot all evening.”

Watch the whole debate on YouTube here.