No hand-shake. That was the first thing that I noticed about this debate. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump took the stage in the highly anticipated second presidential debate on Sunday evening and did not shake hands at the beginning, as is typically customary.

The entire debate was destined to be uncomfortable from the moment Trump brought four of Bill Clinton’s accusers out for a press conference an hour before the debate. This came 24 hours after a video was released of Trump’s degrading references to sexual assault was released.

It is no secret that Trump and Clinton have an exceptional distaste for one another and that was especially present in this town-hall formatted debate.

Clinton, however, remained professional and relatively poised throughout the debate. She rarely interrupted Trump and let him finish the points that he was making; while he constantly interrupted her and told the moderators that they were being unfair to him. Though it was revealed later that he had more speaking time than Clinton.

Trump dished out attack after attack on Clinton, while avoiding the questions he was asked throughout the debate. At times, when Clinton was speaking he looked like he was nodding off, barely paying attention to what she was saying. At other points, Trump lurked behind Clinton, stalking her every step as she walked to address the audience member asking the question.
Trump and Clinton differed tremendously in their interactions with the audience members. Clinton seemed genuinely interested in what the individual was asking and thanked them for their questions; Trump grumbled his responses, generally avoiding the individual and addressing his ambiguous “great” plans for the future.

This debate was brutal and incredibly hard to watch. I have never seen two candidates for office become so vicious with one another and Trump’s statement that he would place Clinton in jail if he becomes president was both shocking and disturbing.

The only redemption for this debate came with the closing question when an audience member asked if there was anything either candidate admired about the other. Clinton said she admired Trump’s children and their work ethic. Trump said he admired how Clinton is a fighter and that she “never, ever gives up.” As the debate concluded, the candidates did shake hands, but the animosity between the two was still felt.

This election has been dirty—it has been one where the candidates (and whoever is supporting them) continuously throw attacks at one another, whether they are factual or not. It is going to be fascinating to see what happens in three weeks; either way, it is sure to be astounding.

PS. Shout-out to Ken Bone, he is a national treasure