Donald Trump surges ahead of Hillary Clinton in latest poll

A new poll suggests that surprise Republican frontrunner Donald Trump would beat Hillary Clinton to become the nation's president if a vote was taken today.

Trump's announcement of his intention to join the presidential race was widely ridiculed back in June, but his poll numbers have been climbing steadily ever since. Political news website The Hill revealed that the latest SurveyUSA poll gave Trump 45 per cent of the vote to Clinton's 40 per cent.

Trump's popularity surge has coincided with a media storm over likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct government business as Secretary of State. Although Clinton attempted to assure the public that no classified information was compromised, her popularity has taken a hit as voters question her trustworthiness, says The Times.

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Clinton's candidacy may have become mired in controversy, but it has hardly been a smooth campaign for Trump either. Figures on all sides of the political spectrum have berated him for his "bullying" debating style, offensive comments about women and minorities, and underhand tactics such as broadcasting a rival's personal phone number. Standout howlers on the campaign so far include tweeting a pro-America image showing Nazi troops instead of US ones and branding Mexican undocumented immigrants rapists and criminals.

However, the new poll numbers suggest that even his high profile gaffes have not stopped a significant number of American voters from standing by the man once described by fellow Republican Lindsey Graham as a "jackass".

Trump's straight-talking persona and bold promise to "make our country great again" have been especially popular with grassroots Republican voters, among whom his political inexperience is often seen as an advantage. The billionaire real estate magnate has pledged to use his business acumen to create jobs, bolster the economy and restore the nation's manufacturing base.