Election 2016: Twists and turns aplenty

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his rival Democrat Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump took an early lead in the race to the White House on November 9, 2016. PHOTOS | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Trump has taken flak for his demeaning remarks about women, but a video made public on October 7 marked a new low that opened the candidate to accusations of sexual assault.

  • In the 2005 clip, Trump is apparently unaware his microphone is on when he describes groping and forcing himself on women in vulgar, predatory language.

  • "When you're a star, they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump is heard bragging.

The 2016 presidential campaign has been a roller coaster ride with twists and turns that left voters alternately elated, distraught and sometimes flat-out flummoxed.

And another one came on Sunday, when FBI Director James Comey announced that a renewed look at Democrat Hillary Clinton's email practices had not changed his recommendation that she not face any charges.

As Clinton and Republican Donald Trump end their campaigns, here are some of the election's most memorable moments: 

  • Clinton email redux

Clinton thought a controversy over her use of a private server to send email while secretary of state had been put to rest in July, when FBI chief James Comey recommended no criminal charges against her.

All that changed in late October, just 11 days before the election, when Comey surprised Americans by announcing the discovery of new, potentially relevant emails without giving further details.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses a "Women for Trump" placard during a rally at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida on October 12, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

The news was welcome for Trump, who repeatedly called the revelations "the biggest political scandal since Watergate." He saw a bump in the polls.

Mrs Clinton greets supporters on her way to the stage during a primary night rally at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the Brooklyn borough of New York City June 7, 2016. PHOTO | GETTY IMAGES/AFP

The 69-year-old former first lady once again apologised for using the private server, which her opponents say put classified information at risk, saying it "was a mistake and I regret it."

But on Sunday, Comey again surprised Planet Politics by announcing that the new review had not changed the FBI's conclusions from July — welcome news for the Democrat. 

  • Trump video revealed

Trump has taken flak for his demeaning remarks about women, but a video made public on October 7 marked a new low that opened the candidate to accusations of sexual assault.

In the 2005 clip, Trump is apparently unaware his microphone is on when he describes groping and forcing himself on women in vulgar, predatory language.

"When you're a star, they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump is heard bragging.

Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump (left) during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon of 'The Tonight Show' in New York on September 15, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

Since the video's release, around a dozen women have accused the 70-year-old real estate mogul of unwanted and aggressive sexual advances.

"He has said that the video doesn't represent who he is," Clinton said during an October 9 debate.

"But I think it's clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is, because we've seen this throughout the campaign."

Trump dismissed the comments as "just words" and "locker room talk," and denied the sexual assault allegations, threatening to sue his accusers after the elections. 

  • The billionaire's taxes

Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul, has refused to release his income tax returns, defying a four-decade tradition among candidates for the White House.

During a September 26 debate, Clinton offered several hypotheses as to why Trump might decline to make that information public, musing "maybe he doesn't want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he's paid nothing in federal taxes."

Mrs Clinton takes photographs with supporters after a campaign rally at Sacramento City College in Sacramento, California, on June 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO

Trump seemed to imply the accusation was correct, responding only: "That makes me smart." 

  • Clinton wobbles, literally

Clinton endured Trump's taunts about her "stamina" and questions about her health in September after abruptly leaving a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in Manhattan.

Feeling unwell, the former secretary of state left 90 minutes into the ceremony.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally inside the Cabarrus Arena 7 Events Center in Concord, North Carolina, on November 3, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

A passerby filmed her legs giving way, prompting two Secret Service officers to support her as she climbed into a minivan.

Clinton's doctors later said that she was suffering from pneumonia, and needed to take a break from the campaign. 

  • 'Basket of deplorables'

Clinton ignited a firestorm of criticism after she denigrated Trump voters on September 9 at a fundraiser in New York.

Mrs Clinton and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper wave to supporters after her speech at Adams City High School in Commerce City, Colorado, on August 3, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

"To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables," she said.

Republicans immediately seized on the phrase "basket of deplorables" to drive a wedge between Clinton and white, working-class voters. "INSULTING," Trump tweeted.

Clinton later said she regretted the comment. 

  • Muslim soldier's father

Trump became locked in a war of words in July with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq in 2004.

In a speech before the Democratic National Convention, the soldier's father, a Pakistani immigrant named Khizr Khan, charged that Trump had "sacrificed nothing" for the country.

Protesters, including Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin (right) gather outside the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, where the party's presidential candidate Donald Trump was meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan on May 12, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

The Republican shot back on ABC News that he has made "a lot of sacrifices," then raised the stakes by tweeting: "Mr Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC."

The remarks, and Trump's refusal to apologise for suggesting that Khan's wife stood silently at his side at the convention because she was not allowed to speak, triggered an uproar within his party.