WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. _ A confident Hillary Clinton said she enjoyed Monday's leadoff presidential debate so much that Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks came to mind: "Let's play two!"
Speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane before departing for a rally in Raleigh, N.C., the Democratic nominee said she was already looking forward to the second debate after Monday's highly anticipated faceoff against Donald Trump. She said voters got a chance to "begin to compare us on policy," which, she added, has often been lost amid the "back and forth."
"That all began to come into focus for people," she said.
She charged that Trump failed the ultimate test voters expect of a potential president.
"His demeanor, his temperament, his behavior on the stage could be seen by everybody, and people can draw their own conclusions," she said when asked how female voters might respond to his frequent interruptions and defensiveness.
"He can run his campaign and present himself however he chooses. But the real point is about temperament, and fitness, and qualification to hold the most important, hardest job in the world. And I think people saw last night some very clear differences between us."
Asked about Trump's assertion that he showed restraint by not bringing up her husband's infidelities, Clinton repeated that Trump could conduct himself however he chooses, but chided him for an overly negative tone throughout the race.
"He talks down America every chance that he gets," she said.
Clinton, grinning for much of the brief Q-and-A session, couldn't help but get in one last dig at her rival. After starting to walk away from reporters, she turned back and mentioned Trump's claim that a technical issue may have hampered his performance.
"Anybody who complains about the microphone," she said, "is not having a good night."
