With a great deal of gusto and long-winded showmanship, Donald Trump began the night talking about America’s deficit and bad trade deals in a show of strength. But Trump quickly found himself on the defense against Hillary Clinton’s well-prepared bullet point list of reasons Trump lacks the temperament to become president of the United States.

Time and again, Clinton answered moderator Lester Holt in her typical wonkish and analytical style while pointing back with a finger at Trump’s words throughout the campaign that he would dismantle the democracy career public servants such as she have worked their lifetimes to expand and defend.

The GOP candidate would have none of it. In a surreal and inspired act of defiance, he pointed back the other way at Clinton who was standing before him, he said, as the embodiment of why America has a broken system.

So who won?

Trump takes the bait, but still leads the rebellion

In an effort to label Trump’s brand of capitalism as regressive, Clinton dubbed his vision of the economy “Trump’d up, trickle down” economics that benefit only the wealthiest of Americans — and battered him over how his business dealings and tax dodges have hurt the system he so proudly boasts to be able to fix. It marked the beginning of a defensive night for The Donald as he strained to maintain the coolness he showed to begin the forum, and burst into impassioned overtures of his law & order vision for America.

Trump claimed he would cut taxes like nobody since Ronald Reagan and that it would be “a beautiful thing.” He sounded strong when hitting NAFTA and other Clinton-backed global trade deals, and painted a picture of countries leaving the United States and taking their jobs with them — all while China tricked the U.S. into bad gambles and an unpayable $20 trillion tab. That strength turned into his weakness, however, when he brought up subjects like Rosie O’Donnell and

“I will release my tax returns, against my lawyer’s wishes, when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted,” he said. “As soon as she releases them, I will release my tax returns and that’s against my lawyers say don’t do it.”

And while he repeatedly took Clinton’s bait on the issues, he was also able to dress down Clinton’s wonkish answers as more status quo while appearing as this rebellious leadera gainst Washington elitism.

“Typical politician,” he said of Clinton. “All talk. No action. Sounds good. Doesn’t work. Never gonna happen.”

The audience had much to delight over

At one point, Clinton asked audiences to check the facts and order a copy of her new book “Stronger Together” while gleaming over her plan to battle ISIS on the website. Trump mocked her, saying  “Look at her website… she’s telling us how to fight ISIS. She tells you how to fight ISIS on her website. I don’t think general MacArthur would like that too much.”

Clinton shot back: “I have a feeling by the end of this evening I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened.”

“Why not?” Trump mocked, much to the audience delight.

While specific policy details were few and far between, viewers were treated to a handful barbs like this, as the pair dissociated from one another over minorities in America, birtherism and the Iraq War.

Folks all over the world watched the U.S. presidential debate, expected to have drawn historic viewership. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

But Clinton goaded Trump into some extraordinary remarks that call into question his ability to keep cool under fire, a theme that emerged at the end and seemed to cement it as her tactical plan all along. After gender was briefly brought up, the pair went into what it means to look presidential before examining the high-energy nature of the job of commander-in-chief.

“She doesn’t have the look. She doesn’t have the stamina,” Trump said. “To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina.”

“Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease-fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina,” Clinton shot back.

Fact-checking the debate: For a full roundup of remarks and retorts and how they match up against public record, The Columbus Dispatch has published a comprehensive list here.