Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

Donald Trump, U.S. Republican presidential candidate on Tuesday in Washington vowed to hit rival Democrat Hillary Clinton harder in next presidential debate.

This was coming after Clinton put him on the defensive by accusing him of being a racist, sexist and a tax dodger during their first matchup.

Trump, making his first run for public office, praised himself for not attacking Clinton about the marital infidelity of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during the debate at Hofstra University.

He said during a separate interview that he may take up the attack line going forward.

“I may hit her harder in certain ways,” Trump said, adding that when Clinton criticised him for his treatment of women, he resisted.

He added that “I was going to hit her with her husband’s women. And I decided I shouldn’t do it because her daughter was in the room.”

Trump, 70, himself had a high-profile affair with Marla Maples, the woman who would be his second wife while he was still married to his first wife, Ivanka Trump.

He eventually divorced Maples and married his third and current wife, Melania Trump.

Clinton, has expressed satisfaction about her performance against Trump in the first presidential debate and was looking forward to facing him again next month.

She said on Tuesday in Washington that she felt “positive” about her performance.

“We had a great, great time last night and I have to say, I was thrilled that I got to lay out some of the middle class economic policies and pro-family policies that I’ve been talking about throughout this campaign to all the viewers who tuned in.

Clinton aboard her campaign plane again dismissed Trump as having a temperament that was unfit for the nation’s highest elected office, saying he had made repeated untrue charges and claims in a largely negative campaign.

“I’m excited about where we are in this country. He talks down America every chance he gets; he calls us names and referred to us as a third-world country.

“He talks in such dire and dark terms. That’s now who America is. You know, we are the best problem-solvers in the world, our diversity is strength,’’ she said.