Thursday 20 October 2016 9:07 am

In quotes: The best of Clinton and Trump’s final debate

If there's one thing we've learned from the US election, it's that very little Donald Trump says can surprise us any more.

But last night's final presidential debate, which took place in Las Vegas, still managed to entertain the whole of America. And the rest of the world.

In the past few weeks Trump's poll ratings have taken a dive after he was accused of sexual assault, and Clinton has been storming ahead, even in swing states.

The reception was icy from the start, from the candidates not shaking hands, to Trump calling Clinton a "nasty woman".

So, how did The Donald do against his Democrat rival in his last attempt to win over undecided voters before election day?

On accepting the election result

Trump has stepped up his rhetoric on the possibility that the election result will be rigged in recent days.

Last night he sent eyebrows raising when he refused to commit to accepting the result of the election.

“What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense. Okay?” he said.

It's worth noting that Obama told him yesterday to stop whining and get on it.

Clinton responded: “That is not the way our democracy works.

“We've been around for 240 years. We've had free and fair elections. We've accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them."

On Putin

It's no secret that Trump wants to hit the ground running with a better relationship with Russia, and has been particularly complimentary to President Putin.

"Let me tell you Putin has outsmarted her and Obama every single step of the way."

"Putin, from everything I see, has no respect for this person," he said of Clinton last night, and defended the idea of having a more open relationship with Russia.

Clinton shot back: "Well, that's because he'd rather have a puppet for president than the United States."

"You're the puppet," he replied.

On allegations of assault

One of the biggest stories of this presidential campaign has been the comments that Trump has made about women.

Of course, he thinks it is part of a huge conspiracy to smear him, obviously.

"I believe it was her campaign that did it," he said, adding that the women "want fame" and "nobody has more respect for women than I do," to laughs from the audience.

Clinton said that he thinks "belittling women makes him bigger".

"He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I don't think there is a woman anywhere who doesn't know what that feels like."

On gun laws

"I am very proud to have the endorsement of the NRA," Trump began.

"We are going to appoint justices, that is the best way to help the second amendment… that will not do damage to the second amendment."

Clinton defended the tradition of gun ownership, but said online loopholes need to be closed to protect the 33,000 people a year who die from guns.

"Because I support the second amendment doesn’t mean that I want people who shouldn’t have guns to be able to threaten you, kill you or members of your family."

On abortion

Trump tried to scare everyone with concerns over abortion by claiming that they could be carried out in the ninth month of pregnancy. Come on, Donald.

"I think it’s terrible, if you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby… that's not acceptable."

Clinton set him straight, and told him that was not what happened. She vowed to defend women's rights to make their own decisions.

"Using that kind of scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate. You should meet with some of the women that I’ve met with. Women I’ve known over the course of my life.

"This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make. I do not believe the government should be in it."

On immigration

Clinton went on the attack of Trump's stance towards immigrants, noting that he called "Mexican immigrant rapists and criminals and drug dealers".

"What I am also arguing is that bring undocumented immigrants out from the shadows putting them in the formal economy will be good because employers can’t exploit them and undercut their wages."

On experience for the White House

Trump, of course, tried to play down Clinton's career.

“The one thing you have over me is experience. But it’s bad experience…. The problem is you talk, but you don’t get anything done… If you become president, this country is going to be in some mess, believe me."

Of course, Clinton had some answers for him.

"Back in the 1970s, I worked for Children's Defense Fund, and I was taking on discrimination against African-American kids in schools. He was getting sued by the Justice Department for racial discrimination in his apartment buildings.

"In the 1980s, I was working to reform the schools in Arkansas. He was bore rogue $14 million from his father to start his businesses. In the 1990s, I went to Beijing and I said women's rights are human rights. He insulted a former miss universe, Alicia Machado, called her an eating machine.

"And on the day when I was in the situation room, monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, he was host "The Celebrity Apprentice." So I'm happy to compare my 30 years of experience, what I've done for this country, trying to help in every way I could."

Yes, Hillary.

On Isis and the Iraq War

Trump has been bleating on about this for ages, claiming he never supported the Iraq War in 2003. Despite a lot of evidence to the contrary.

"Wrong!" he said repeatedly, when Clinton called him out.

"It’s so ridiculous what [she just said]. She will defeat Isis? We should have never let Isis happened in the first place. Right now, they’re in 32 countries."

Clinton, as always, told it as it was.

"You know, I just want everybody to go Google it. Google ‘Donald Trump Iraq’ and you will see the dozens of sources which verify that he was for the invasion of Iraq.”

Let me Google that for you.