Under extreme fire for lewd, predatory remarks on an 11-year-old video, Donald Trump insisted in Sunday night's debate that he has never sexually assaulted women.

It was part of a full blast from Trump. He promised to mount a special investigation on former Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, if he wins the White House. He brought up allegations against Bill Clinton. And he defended his deductions of big business losses on his taxes.

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Trump was in a deep hole coming into the debate, just two days after release of the video. He needed to reassure his splintering Republican base that he would be tough on Clinton, who is public enemy No. 1 to conservatives.

He may have succeeded. As the debate quickly moved away from scandal and controversies, Trump, unlike the first matchup with Clinton, did a better job of contrasting his positions with his rival, particularly on the economy and foreign policy.

His performance could stunt the growth of a movement by some Republicans to abandon Trump and focus on other GOP contests. But it didn't score many points outside of his loyal following, meaning he's still behind Clinton in the race for the White House.

Policy aside, the world was waiting to see how Trump tackled the question of his language about women at the beginning of the town hall forum, when CNN's Anderson Cooper asked if he understood that his words were tantamount to sexual assault.

"This was locker room talk. I'm not proud of it. I apologize to my family. I apologized to the American people," Trump said. "Certainly I'm not proud of it. But this is locker room talk."

Trump's answer appeared canned and lack emotion, which could work against his outreach to women voters and others disturbed by the video.

The New York businessman then said he was the best choice to end some of America's foreign policy challenges, claiming the world was facing "medieval times" and in need of a strong leader.

"Yes, I'm very embarrassed by it. I hate it. But it's locker room talk and it's one of those things," Trump said. "I will knock the hell out of ISIS. We're going to defeat ISIS."

Trump was calm and composed when he answered questions about the vulgar video. He spoke in measured terms, likely staying on script. But when he turned to Bill Clinton, he seemed to be seething.

"If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse. Mine are words and his was action," Trump said. "Bill Clinton was abusive to women. Hillary Clinton attacked those same women."

Clinton himself was in the room, as were two women who have accused him of sexual assault.

One of Trump's most dramatic moments came when he pounded Clinton over the private emails.

"It's disgraceful and she should be ashamed of herself," Trump said, adding, "If I win, I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation."

Clinton responded: "It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country."

Trump replied: "Because you'd be in jail." His supporters cheered, as they do at his rallies when they chant, "Lock her up."

It set the tone for the rest of Trump's night, as he slowly walked about the stage pressing Clinton on a variety of issues.

"She doesn't do anything about anything, other than talk," Trump said of Clinton.

When he was asked whether he paid taxes in the mid-1990s, Trump had an inconsistent answer. He said he paid federal taxes, but acknowledged that he took a $915 million tax write-off for business losses in 1995.

"I pay tax. I pay federal taxes," Trump said. "But I have a write-off."

He charged that Clinton supported such deductions in the tax code because they helped her rich friends.

Trump was forceful during foreign policy discussions. But in a strange moment he acknowledged that he disagreed with his running mate, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, on Russia' role in Syria and if the United States should bomb military targets of the Bashar Assad regime.

He was quick on his feet when Clinton cited Abraham Lincoln when trying to explain her closed-door comments to bankers. "She lied, now she's blaming the lie on the late great Abraham Lincoln," he said.

And in another nod to his base, he criticized Clinton for calling half of his supporters a "basket of deplorables."

"Believe me, she has tremendous hate in her heart," Trump said.

More debate coverage

Analysis: Clinton tries to stay out of Trump's way as he implodes

Slug me in St. Louis: Grading the blows Clinton, Trump exchanged in their second debate

Winners and losers from the second Clinton-Trump presidential debate

Editorial: Debate exposes the same ol' mile-wide-and-inch-thin Trump

Video fallout: Trump hosts Clinton accusers, while NBC suspends Billy Bush

Live coverage: Clinton vs. Trump, Round 2