Donald Trump ducks answer on accepting US election result

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Wednesday he might reject the outcome of the 8 November US presidential election if he loses.

During the last of three debates against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether this meant the New York businessman would not commit to a peaceful transition of power.

"What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense. Ok?" Trump replied.

For days he has claimed the election is "rigged".

Clinton, the former US secretary of state, said Trump's comment was "horrifying."

The Las Vegas debate, which for the first time focused more on policy than character, continued the campaign's bitter tone, with Trump calling Clinton a "nasty woman", accusing her campaign of orchestrating a series of accusations by women who said the businessman made unwanted sexual advances. He said that both she and President Barack Obama were behind disturbances at his rallies, while accusing the Clinton Foundation of being a criminal enterprise in order to justify his claims that she should not have been allowed to seek the presidency.

Clinton, on the other hand, said Trump himself had incited violence, belittled women and posed a danger to the United States. She said Trump had in the past also complained that his show was unjustly denied a US television Emmy award.

"I should have gotten it," Trump retorted.

Polls show Mr Trump is losing in key battleground states after facing a slew of sexual assault allegations.

The candidates declined to shake hands before and after the political sparring, setting the tone for what would later become yet another debate marked by shouting and interrupting.

Trump appealed to the Republican establishment by vowing to appoint Supreme Court justices with a "conservative bent" who would overturn a key ruling that made abortion legal in the US and protect gun rights. He also stuck to his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants and secure US borders. Meanwhile, Clinton firmly declared she would stand up for the LGBT community, defend abortion rights, focus on restoring the middle class and equal pay for women.