I think it is fair to say that Hillary Clinton won Monday’s first US presidential debate against her Republican opponent Donald Trump. Clinton, the Democratic Party nominee, was far better prepared than her adversary, she kept her calm, she looked and sounded presidential and she knew her subjects well.

Trump, on the other hand, interrupted his opponent far too many times, blamed Clinton for all of America’s problems of the past 30 years, was impulsive in his answers, was put on the defensive many times, failed to come up with concrete proposals when criticising Clinton’s policies and sniffed nervously throughout the debate.

Clinton wasn’t particularly brilliant but she came across well in the debate as a steady ‘safe pair of hands’ in contrast to the brash Trump who just didn’t seem suited for the role of President. It is not surprising that a CNN poll showed that 62 per cent of those who watched the debate believed Clinton came out the winner.

Crucially, Clinton did not make the mistake that Al Gore made in the first 2000 presidential debate when he sighed loudly, rolled his eyes and shook his head in frustration in response to George Bush’s answers – reinforcing the perception that he was arrogant and condescending.

Instead Clinton smiled a lot and was polite, even when making it clear that Trump was not suitable to move into the Oval Office.

I think it was also important that Clinton did not mention the fact that she was the first woman presidential candidate and instead stressed her qualifications and experience for the job.

Hopefully Clinton will also do well in the two other debates that are scheduled for later on this month. In a race where the polls are showing the two candidates neck and neck these debates could have an important impact on the election outcome.

Unfortunately, despite being much more qualified than Trump for the presidency, Clinton is not a particularly popular person, many voters believed she is dishonest and she is struggling to gain the support of certain sectors of the electorate, such as 18-25 year olds and white males. So these debates could boost her popularity, especially when voters contrast her performance directly with Trump’s.

The debate was dominated by questions about the economy, free trade, security, race and the Iran nuclear deal. I think Clinton succeeded in portraying Trump as a man of rhetoric who doesn’t know what he is talking about and has no concrete proposals.

Trump’s criticism of the Iran nuclear deal, for example, was particularly empty, as he offered no viable alternative.

Clinton also scored points for pressuring Trump to reveal why he has not released his tax returns and for highlighting some of the Republican candidate’s derogatory remarks towards women.

This is a choice between an experienced level-headed person and a populist dangerous demagogue

During the debate it was clear that Trump was principally targeting blue collar workers who feel that they had been on the losing side of globalisation and free trade deals.

There are a lot of such workers in the so-called ‘Rust Belt’ of the US, once the industrial heartland of the country, but which has witnessed economic decline over the last 30 years.

The ‘Rust Belt’ covers states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Illinois, many of which are battleground states which could determine the election result.

Trump also took the opportunity to criticise Clinton for her support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which involves 12 countries: the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.

This trade agreement has not yet been ratified, and Trump said such a deal would to more job losses in the country. This is probably where Clinton was at her weakest, and she chose not to embrace the deal or to criticise it.

Overall, however, Trump’s description of America during the debate can only be described as a fantasy. Anyone listening to him would think that the US economy was collapsing with massive job losses, illegal migrants and a spiral of violence which was out of control.

The truth is that under the Obama administration the US jobless rate is down to a low 4.9 per cent and with the exception of a couple of cities the overall crime rate has also gone down substantially.

It is also a fact that President Obama has deported more people than any US President before him, and since 2009 has sent back more than 2.5 million people—up 23 per cent from the George W. Bush years.

Why, therefore, is Trump not trailing badly in the polls, considering that Clinton is a far better candidate than he is? The question of Clinton’s image among ordinary voters is definitely a factor, and hopefully this will be overcome as a result of the two other debates.

It is also probably true that some people who have never been interested in politics are attracted to Trump because of his so-called anti-establishment credentials. And we cannot ignore the fact that after two terms in office of the same party voters usually opt for a different party.

However, it is a fact that the Republican Party has turned decisively to the populist Right over the last eight years and has allowed itself to be infiltrated by the Tea Party movement. Its exaggerated opposition to the Obama administration has also had an impact on the political climate.

The result is that the standard bearer of the Republican Party today is Donald Trump, a dangerous and populist candidate who unfortunately has struck a chord with certain sectors of the electorate.

The impact of the right-wing Fox News and the numerous right-wing radio talk show hosts who have sprung up throughout the country cannot be underestimated – they have unfortunately created the sort of climate that makes some of Trump’s outrageous comments acceptable to certain people.

There is certainly a lot at stake in this election and as I have said many times, this is not a normal vote, but a choice between an experienced level-headed person and a populist dangerous demagogue who hasn’t got a clue about governing a country and about key complex international issues.

It would be a great pity and indeed a tragedy, if America, which is respected all across the globe and looked up to for leadership of the free world, had to elect Donald Trump as President.

A lot will depend on how the vote goes in a handful of swing states, as well as the impact of the Green and Libertarian candidates, who might make a difference some of these battleground states. We’ll just have to hope for the best.