U.S. presidential nominees fail to offer policy specifics in debate, say Mexican experts

U.S. presidential candidates failed to provide any policy specifics during the nationally televised debate although it drew a lot of attention, Mexican experts said Tuesday.

In an article co-authored by several researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Elizabeth Gutierrez Romero said that neither Democrat Hillary Clinton nor Republican Donald Trump has offered any policy specifics or solutions to issues.

Trump, she said, was "repetitive and strong-headed" while Clinton "used the chance to put Trump on the defensive which did not allow him to effectively counter her arguments."

Clinton and Trump squared off on Monday night in front of millions of television viewers for a 90-minute debate, lashing each other with critical remarks and even insults.

It was the first of three showdowns ahead of the Nov. 8 election. The remaining two debates are scheduled for Oct. 9 and Oct. 19.

Eduardo Rosales Herrera, an international relations expert from the university, said the debate went pretty much as expected.

"Diametrically opposed viewpoints were confronted and the positions expressed over the recent months of this campaign were maintained," he wrote.

As for the final result of the debate, Silvia Nunez Garcia, director of the Center for Research on North America (CISAN) of the university, pointed out that it was too early to say who will win the race to the White House even though Clinton is widely considered to have won the first debate.

"Polls show an overwhelming victory for the Democratic candidate but this data has little impact on electoral preferences," Garcia said, adding that Clinton's victory would only lead to some undecided voters changing their voting intentions.

She said a female candidate for the U.S. presidency comes at a time of deep divisions among Americans about the future of their country. Endi