U. S. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Wednesday, October 3, participated in the first presidential debate at the University of Denver.

The two men clashed over the role of government, taxes and healthcare, mirroring a deep divide in the ideologies of the two parties.

Romney criticized the Obama government for 8.1 per cent unemployment and weak economic growth. He said that Obama government was spending more, taxing more and regulating more, and added that it was not the right answer for American economy.

Obama put Romney on the defensive by saying that Romney was proposing the same type of tax cuts that ex- President George W. Bush had introduced in 2001 and 2003, which allegedly moved the economy from surpluses to deficits.

On the question of healthcare, Obama said they modeled the healthcare plan after the program that Romney had implemented as governor of Massachusetts.

But, both the incumbent president and the Republican candidate remained under pressure when asked to provide specific details on how they would get America's economy growing again.

However moments following the end of the debate, television commentators and millions on social media declared Romney as the winner.