7 memorable quotes from the presidential forum

Recent polls show the race for the presidency has narrowed.

In what was billed as a major national-security address in North Carolina on Tuesday, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine criticized the Republican nominee by name 61 times, calling him "unqualified and temperamentally unfit to serve as president".

In his speech he called his vision for the U.S. military "peace through strength".

Clinton's argument that Trump is ill-prepared to be commander in chief has been bolstered by a flood of Republican national security experts who have chosen to back the Democratic nominee instead of their own party's pick.

Clinton, who raised $143 million in the same time period, has consistently outraised Trump, allowing her to spend more widely on expensive television advertisements.

There were flashes of the old Donald Trump, of course - such as when he railed against nation-building and military entanglements in the Middle East.

Trump said he thinks he'd "have a very good relationship with many foreign leaders", including Putin.

"Trump has offered empty promises and divisive rhetoric", Mr. Kaine said.

For Clinton, who delivered the remarks at an LGBT fundraiser, the other half of Trump supporters aren't so bad and happen to escape from falling in the "basket of deplorables". "This will require rethinking the failed policies", he said.

A senior adviser said ahead of the speech that Trump would make sure the additional spending was fully paid for but did not explain how.

He also called for US Nato allies to meet their obligations to spend 2% of national income on defence.

Tuesday, 88 retired United States military leaders, including generals and admirals, signed an open letter endorsing Donald J. Trump for president.

According to notes released from Clinton's interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, she said she relied on others with knowledge about handling classified files.

- Complaints about the military's strategy against the Islamic State. "I was in Syracuse, and I was in Albany and I was in-and I saw those great lovely buildings that are empty and rotting and falling down from the wind and the rain and the snow", he said. It's going to be great.

Clinton called Trump's comments "totally inappropriate and undisciplined", and added: "I would never comment on any aspect of an intelligence briefing that I received".

Clinton, meanwhile, demonstrated her fluency on foreign policy at Wednesday night's forum, but still found herself defending her record.

The forum, which will be hosted by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, will include questions from an audience of military service members.

A large majority of those voters, 64 percent, say they wouldn't be confident in Clinton's ability to serve as commander-in-chief. "They have said that they hoped that he is the President because it would give even more motivation to every jihadi, someone who has insulted Muslims", she said.

The guidance issued to surrogates says that Clinton has "apologized" - a word she did not use - for saying "most" rather than "some" and notes that "obviously not everyone supporting Trump is part of the alt right".