President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden have faced off in their first televised debate ahead of this year's US election.

The exchange has been described as one of the "most chaotic and rancorous White House debates in years", and saw the pair clash over white supremacy, the pandemic and the economy in the 90-minute feature.

READ MORE: Presidential debate recap: Trump and Biden's furious clash

At one moment in the debate, Mr Biden called Mr Trump a "clown" and told him to "shut up".

Here are some of the key highlights from the debate.

White supremacy

This was one of the most talked-about scenarios throughout the debate.

Mr Trump was asked by moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace if he was prepared to condemn white supremacists.

At first, he said he would - however he changed his tune when asked to denounce the far-right Proud Boys group.

Mr Trump said: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."

Coronavirus

On the topic of the ongoing pandemic, Mr Biden accused Mr Trump of panicking over the crisis.

As it stands, more than 200,000 Americans have died from the virus.

Mr Biden said: "A lot of people died and a lot more are going to die unless he gets a lot smarter, a lot quicker."

READ MORE: The most memorable moments from US presidential debates

But in retaliation, Mr Trump told Mr Biden to never "use the word smart" with him.

"You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class," he said. "Don't ever use the word smart with me. Don't ever use that word."

Things got... personal

The pair did not just clash on policies - they clearly showed their exasperation on the debate panel.

After Mr Trump repeatedly tried to speak over him, Mr Biden snapped: "Will you shut up man?" at the president.

At several points throughout the night, Mr Trump attempted to move conversation onto Mr Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and brought up his struggles with cocaine addiction and discharge from the navy.

In response, Mr Biden said: “My son, like a lot of people … had a drug problem.

“He’s overtaken it. He’s fixed it. He’s worked on it. And I’m proud of him.”

But when Biden appeared to challenge the president's intelligence, Trump snapped: "There's nothing smart about you," and said Biden had graduated last in his class from college.