Wednesday’s third round of the United States’ Presidential Election turned out to be the most fiery and controversial, especially with Donald Trump refusing to state clearly that he will accept the eventual election result.

Analysts described the development as unprecedented in the history of US elections; it has been the country’s long-standing tradition for a losing candidate to concede defeat and congratulate his opponent after the votes are counted.

When asked if he would accept the result of the election, Trump – who has consistently claimed the election process is ‘rigged’ – replied: “I will look at it at the time.”

“That’s horrifying,” Clinton shot back.

“He is denigrating and he is talking down our democracy. And I, for one, am appalled that somebody who is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind of a position.”

Trump’s response drew sharp criticism from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said the candidate was “doing the party and country a great disservice by continuing to suggest the outcome of the election is out of his hands and ‘rigged’ against him.”

Nicolle Wallace, a Political Analyst and advisor to former Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, said that Trump “may as well have laid down in his own coffin with a hammer and nail and pounded it in himself.”

The debate which held in Las Vegas continued the campaign’s bitter tone, with Trump calling his opponent, Hilary Clinton, a “nasty woman”.

Polls show Trump is losing in key battleground states after facing a slew of sexual assault allegations.

The debate came less than three weeks before Election Day on 8 November.

Both candidates declined to shake hands before and after the political sparring, setting the tone for another debate marked by shouting and interrupting.

Trump appealed to the Republican establishment by vowing to appoint Supreme Court justices with a “conservative bent” who would overturn a key ruling that made abortion legal in the US and protect gun rights.

He also stuck to his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall round US borders.

Meanwhile, Clinton firmly declared she would stand up for the LGBT community, defend abortion rights, focus on restoring the middle class and equal pay for women.

“The government has no business in the decisions that women make,” she said.

When asked about her paid speech to a Brazilian bank in which she spoke of her dream of open trade and open borders, Clinton said she was talking about energy policy.

In one key exchange, Trump attacked Clinton’s 30 years of “very bad experience” and she responded by going through her timeline, comparing where she was to where Trump was.

Clinton pointed out that while she was in the White House helping to track down Osama Bin Laden, Trump “was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice.”

The Republican nominee has faced damaging fallout after a video emerged of him making obscene comments about groping women, with senior Republicans deserting him.

When pressed about sexual assault allegations made against him by several women in the wake of the video, Trump said the claims had been “largely debunked”.

In addressing the groping accusations, Clinton said: “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger”.

“Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” Trump said as the crowd was heard scoffing.

He also blamed Clinton, whose campaign he said was responsible for drumming up the allegations.