US election: Clinton says she will focus on issues, not Trump

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Hillary Clinton attends a campaign event with her running mate Tim Kaine, 22 October, at Penn Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaImage source, AFP
Image caption,

Hillary Clinton attended campaign events in Philadelphia (pictured) and Pittsburgh on Saturday

US Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has said she no longer cares what her Republican rival Donald Trump might say and will focus on issues instead.

"I debated him for four and a half hours," she said, recalling their acrimonious exchanges. "I don't even think about responding to him anymore."

She was speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane.

Mr Trump used a rally in Gettysburg to promise curbs on lobbying and new trade and climate change negotiations.

With just 16 days until the election, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to his campaign.

On Saturday, he again promised to sue every woman who had accused him of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour as soon as his presidential campaign was over.

More polls on Sunday suggested the tycoon lags behind Mrs Clinton in key battleground states.

Media caption,

The 'forgotten' Americans explain why Trump

Her campaign has predicted this is going to be "the biggest election in American history".

Campaign manager Robbie Mook told Fox News Sunday: "More people are going to turn out than ever before."

If Arizona swings - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Arizona

Image source, AP

The polls may be wrong in Arizona but if they are correct, it may be the start of a Democratic trend that doesn't just put the state in play in a Clinton 2016 rout scenario, it makes Arizona a legitimate swing state in coming elections.

"The demographics in the state are continuing to change," says Arizona State University political science professor Richard Herrera. "If there is another increase in Latino voters, which there almost certainly will be, followed with an increase in party registrants, this could become a real battleground in future elections."

For Democrats, that's a dream scenario, giving them new and plentiful paths to electoral success.

For Republicans, it could mean the start of a long-term political nightmare.

Read more

Speaking on stage in Pittsburgh, Mrs Clinton called for Americans to unite.

"I understand that they need a president who cares about them, will listen to them and I want to be their president," she said.

Before his speech in Gettysburg, Mr Trump said the media were fabricating stories to make him "look as bad and dangerous as possible".

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Mr Trump criticised his accusers - and those who reported their comments

Eleven women have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour, in the weeks since a video emerged of him boasting of groping women and kissing them.

"Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign," Mr Trump told the audience.

What happens next?

  • The two candidates will spend the remaining 16 days before the election criss-crossing the US in their bid to persuade undecided voters. Expect to see lots of appearances in battleground states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania

  • Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday 8 November to decide who becomes the 45th president of the US

  • The new president will be inaugurated on 20 January 2017

Who is ahead in the polls?

Headshot of Hillary Clinton

48%

Hillary Clinton

Headshot of Donald Trump

44%

Donald Trump

More on the US election

Media caption,

Election 2016: The race for battleground states