By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) – Republican nominee Donald Trump did not commit to accepting the results of the upcoming presidential polls during the final debate Wednesday with his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton.
"I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense,” Trump said when asked if he would respect the results of the Nov. 8 polls. His comments break with hundreds of years of American democratic tradition of which peaceful transfer of power is a central tenant.
"Horrifying" is how Clinton characterized Trump's comments.
In the weeks leading up to the fateful day, Trump has continued to warn that the election is "rigged", telling supporters at mass rallies across the country that the deck is stacked against him, but offering no proof to substantiate the claims.
Less than three weeks remain before Americans flock to voting booths across the country, and critics have warned that Trump's comments could seriously undermine faith in the American political system.
Shifting to foreign policy Wednesday night, Clinton lambasted Trump's seemingly positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader is supporting Trump because "he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States."
In a scene reminiscent of a kindergarten playground, Trump interjected: "you're the puppet" later saying that he doesn't know Putin.
"She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her at every step of the way," Trump said, pointing to Syria where Russia has proven to be a vital bulwark for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who President Barack Obama has publicly demanded "must go" for years.
Trump did not hesitate to doll out praise for Assad, saying, "he's just much tougher and much smarter than her and Obama.
"But if they ever did overthrow Assad, you might end up with -- as bad as Assad is, and he's a bad guy, but you may very well end up with worse than Assad," he said.
Clinton defended her advocacy for a no-fly zone in northern Syria that critics have said could entangle the U.S. in a war with Syria and Russia, saying that it would have to be "negotiated" and "could save lives and could hasten the end of the conflict."
Switching to mounting allegations of sexual impropriety, Trump said his accusers "want either fame or her campaign did it."
But Clinton did not relent. "Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger,” she said.
"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. So we now know what Donald thinks and what he says and how he acts toward women. That's who Donald is," she added.
The at times contentious back and forth between the candidates comes as Trump finds himself increasingly behind Clinton in national polls.
With Nov. 8 rapidly approaching, Trump will have to redouble efforts to gain ground in key battleground states, particularly Ohio, Nevada and North Carolina.