It’s known for its low-cut swimsuits, lavish ballgowns and shimmering tiaras, but on Sunday, Miss America’s 91st pageant took a distinctly political turn.

As the final five contestants – three representing states that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2016 – lined up to receive their last questions, some might have expected the answers to continue a tradition of bland, occasionally nonsensical replies.

Instead, each contestant took it in turns to criticize Trump, the former owner of the rival Miss Universe pageant, on an array of topics including climate change, Russian interference in the 2016 election, and white supremacist rallies.

“The justice system should do their due diligence and they should be punished accordingly,” said Miss Missouri, when asked if the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia.

“It’s just a bad decision on behalf of the United States,” said Miss North Dakota of Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate accords. The representative from the Peace Garden state would go on to win the competition.

Below are the questions and answers in full.

Question: There are multiple investigations into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia on the election. Well, did they? You’re the jury. Guilty or innocent? And please explain your verdict.

Miss Missouri, Jennifer Davis: Right now I’d have to say innocent, because not enough information has been revealed. We are still investigating this and I think we should investigate it to its fullest extent, and if we do find the evidence that they have had collusion with then they should … the justice system should do their due diligence and they should be punished accordingly.

Question: Last month, a demonstration of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the KKK in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent, and a counter-protester was killed. The president said there was shared blame with “very fine people on both sides”. Were there? Tell me yes or no and explain.

Miss Texas, Margana Wood: I think that the white supremacist issue, it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack and I think that President Donald Trump should have made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and making sure all Americans feel safe in this country. That is the No 1 issue right now.

Question: One hundred and ninety-five countries signed the Paris agreement, in which each country sets non-binding goals to reduce manmade climate change. The US is withdrawing from the agreement, citing negligible environmental effects and negative economic impact. Good decision? Bad decision? Which is it and why?

Miss North Dakota, Cara Mund: I do believe it’s a bad decision. Once we reject that, we take ourselves out of the negotiation table, and that’s something that we really need to keep in mind. There is evidence that climate change is existing, so whether you believe it or not, we need to be at that table and I think it’s just a bad decision on behalf of the United States. Thank you.

Question: A recent poll found that over half of Americans favoured leaving confederate statues in place while others want them removed. Keep them or get rid of them? What’s your vote and why?

Miss New Jersey, Kaitlyn Schoeffel: I don’t think the answer is to get rid of these statues, I think the answer is to relocate them into museums, because we are truly defined by our country’s history and I don’t think it’s something that we need to forget. We need to always remember it and honour our history of America because it truly makes us who we are as Americans. But they should be moved to museums. Thank you.

Question: Given the evidence that concussions from playing football can cause brain damage, would you support legislation that outlaws full contact football in elementary and high school? Yes or no? And why?

Miss DC, Briana Kinsey: I do believe that I would. As someone who wants to go into the medical profession, I know how important it is to keep our kids safe so that they can have a quality education and when they’re getting to high school and they’re playing these sports, they’re able to do so at the best of their ability; they’re not limited because they chose to play football at a young age.