US President Donald Trump adopted a more restrained tone than he did during the chaotic first presidential debate in September, when he repeatedly interrupted Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
But Thursday's clash still featured plenty personal attacks between two men who show little respect for each other, and Trump kept fact-checkers busy by levelling unfounded corruption accusations at former vice-president Biden and his family.
The televised encounter in Nashville, Tennessee, represented one of Trump's last remaining opportunities to reshape a campaign dominated by the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 221,000 people in the US. Trump has trailed Biden in opinion polls for months, though the contest is tighter in some battleground states likely to decide the election.
The contentious first debate, when the two men traded insults, was watched by at least 73 million viewers. Trump passed up another planned debate last week after it was switched to a virtual format after his Covid-19 diagnosis.
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