The New York Times on Sunday endorsed Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton for the United States presidency over her Republican opponent, businessman Donald Trump. The daily praised Clinton’s “intellect, experience and courage” and said a comparison between her and Trump “would be an empty exercise” as Clinton had a record of public service and policy ideas. Trump, it said, “discloses nothing concrete about himself or his plans while promising the moon and offering the stars on layaway”.

“This is not a normal election year,” the daily said, adding that it was aiming to persuade those unsure of voting for Clinton in November’s election to do so. The Times further said it would issue a separate editorial on why it believed Trump is “the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history”.

The daily’s endorsement comes just a day before the two presidential candidates face each other in the first of three televised debates. The election has seen accusations from both sides of the divide, with Clinton facing scrutiny over her use of a private email server while serving as the country’s secretary-of-state and Trump being accused of xenophobic and racist comments.

Read the Times’ full endorsement here.