Trump's hope fading fast

He has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. He has boasted of not paying federal taxes, threatened to jail his opponent and claimed the system is rigged. And yet nothing seemed to stick

But now, a new nationwide poll published barely three weeks ahead of election day, suggests that Donald Trump has fallen a full 11 points behind Hillary Clinton. The poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal put Libertarian Gary Johnson at 7 per cent and the Green Party's Jill Stein at 2 percent.

The lead is even greater than the seven points Barack Obama beat John McCain nationally in 2008. Obama's margin of victory over Mitt Romney in 2012 was just four points.

"Donald Trump's chances of winning this election have faded," Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates told NBC. Yang's company conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff and his firm Public Opinion Strategies.

"This poll is showing the writing on the wall," said Yang.

This poll gives Clinton a greater lead than many others. A poll by The Washington Post scored Clinton 47-43 ahead of Trump, with Johnson on 5 per cent and Ms Stein at 2 per cent. An average of polls collated by Real Clear Politics gives Clinton a lead of 5.5 per cent.

Trump has spent most of the last week seeking to dismiss allegations from a growing number of women that he sexually assaulted them.

In recent days, perhaps aware that the tide is against him, Trump has sought to suggest the election is "rigged" and claimed that the media is conspiring against him.

But US Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence yesterday said his running mate will "absolutely" accept the election result, despite media "bias".

His adviser Rudy Giuliani has also accused Democrats of "cheating".