US election: Trump will accept result 'if I win'

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he will accept the results of the US election "if I win". He added that he would accept a "clear" result - but reserved the right to challenge a "questionable" result.

He appeared at a rally in Delaware, Ohio, speaking for the first time since the third televised debate with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump has been heavily criticised for suggesting that he might not accept the election result. Polls suggest Mrs Clinton is ahead nationally and in key battleground states.

Speaking in Ohio, Mr Trump said, grinning: "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election - if I win." He also said: "I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result."

During Wednesday night's debate, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Mr Trump if he would accept losing to Mrs Clinton, the Republican nominee said he would "keep you in suspense". Mr Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the "results are actually known". However the remark, which drew anger from some Republicans, is part of Mr Trump's repeated claim that the election is "rigged" against him.

Mr Trump told the Ohio audience that the election was posing questions about "the fairness of our country". Thursday also saw former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain release a statement implicitly criticising Mr Trump's debate comments.

Mr McCain, who lost to Barack Obama eight years ago, said: "I didn't like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance. "A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."