The mute button, or at least the threat of it, seemed to work. In the second presidential debate, Donald Trump and Joe Biden were more restrained.

The candidates allowed each other to speak. They used respectful tones. Even when they went on the attack, they did so in a calm, deliberate manner.

They traded arguments and accusations on everything from the coronavirus pandemic, to the economy and even the "caging" of children of migrants crossing the border from Mexico. 

Reality Check has unpicked some of the claims.

Trump: "We've rounded the corner [on coronavirus] - it's going away"
Verdict: Coronavirus is not going away - cases and hospital admissions are rising and deaths remain high.

The White House's top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, has disputed the president's assertion that the US is turning a corner, calling the latest statistics "disturbing".

Around 60,000 new coronavirus cases a day are being reported across the US, up from around 50,000 a day at the start of October, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Hospital admissions have also increased by more than 30% since the start of October.

Confirmed deaths have remained at around 800 a day through October.

Biden: "The coronavirus spikes are in red states"
Verdict: That's not right. Coronavirus cases are rising in both Republican (red) and Democratic (blue) states.

The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden implied that the rise in infections was centred on Republican run states.

Covid-19 cases are rising in more than 40 US states and these include both Republican and Democratic controlled states.

North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin have seen the most coronavirus cases per capita over the last week, according to New York Times.

The Dakotas are run by Republican governors, but Montana and Wisconsin both have Democratic governors - although all of these states voted for President Trump in 2016.

Mr Biden also pointed to spikes in Republican states in the Midwest - but the midwestern state of Illinois, which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and has a Democratic governor, is also experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases.

Kristen Welker: Presidential debate moderator was 'clear winner' on social media.

If social media is to be believed, there was only one winner of the final presidential debate - the person in charge.

Kristen Welker has been lauded online for her performance as moderator, in particular being praised for keeping  candidates to time and not allowing them to talk over her.