Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

Republican race: can anyone stop Donald Trump?

16 December

Nine Republican candidates took to the stage in Las Vegas to battle it out for the fifth time last night, on the same day that Donald Trump commanded 41 per cent of the Republican and GOP-leaning independent vote in a Monmouth University poll.

It was the "most substantive debate yet", according to Business Insider, with much of the discussion focused on national security in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting and the email threat that forced all Los Angeles schools to close yesterday.

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If Trump was looking for a fight, his closest rivals weren't going to give it to him. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio seem to have decided that avoiding Trump is the best way to defeat him – ABC News notes that the attacks on the billionaire in previous debates appear to have had no impact on his popularity.

Instead of tackling Trump, Rubio and Cruz focused on each other, trading one-on-one blows over foreign policy and voting records as if to remind the public that they are still serious contenders.

Their in-depth arguments "served to highlight front-runner Donald Trump's discomfort with policy substance", says CNN Politics, although that didn't stop the real estate magnate from proclaiming himself "the most solid person up here".

Despite flashes of his usual bravado, Trump "often faded into the background" as Cruz and Rubio's discourse took up the lion's share of the airtime, while the remaining candidates struggled to get more than a few minutes each.

With seven more debates scheduled for early 2016, Cruz will be hoping that he can maintain his current momentum long enough to overtake Trump before the state primaries begin in February.

But, despite Cruz's dominant performance, it was Jeb Bush who had the line of the night.

After repeatedly laying into a visibly annoyed Trump, the one-time favourite for the nomination, told the audience: "Donald is great at the one-liners. But he's a chaos candidate. And he'd be a chaos president."

Republican race: Trump surges to new poll high

15 December

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has climbed to his highest poll rating yet, with 41 per cent of Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters now endorsing him as their preferred choice for the White House. Trump's closest rival, Ted Cruz, languished far behind on 14 percent in the survey, Politico reports.

The poll, conducted by Monmouth University, further cements Trump's unlikely status as a mainstream candidate for the presidency. If the Trump machine can sustain this momentum until the July 2016 Republican convention, he will likely face Hillary Clinton in the 8 November presidential election.

Trump has come under fire in recent weeks from civil rights advocates over his suggestions for countering the risk of Islamist terrorism in the US, which include a national registry of American Muslims and a ban on foreign Muslims entering the country.

Despite mounting criticism from opponents on both side of the political spectrum that the proposals are excessive, discriminatory and amount to 'fascism', an increasing number of voters are gravitating towards Trump. Video footage appearing to show the property magnate mocking a disabled journalist at one of his rallies has also failed to dent his popularity.

So why does Trump seem immune to backlash from his outrageous statements? One explanation is that all publicity is good publicity – to some extent at least – and Trump loves to grab the spotlight and essentially make the other candidates run to catch up. "Trump's unique ability hijack any debate – without paid advertising or other traditional tactics used by political campaigns – forces his rivals to play his game or fade into the background," writes Konrad Yakabuski in the Globe and Mail.

Trump has even been accused of timing his more outlandish comments to distract attention from bad news for his campaign. ThinkProgress points out that his call for a total ban on Muslims came mere hours after another Monmouth University poll put rival Ted Cruz ahead in the Iowa caucuses.

Republican race: why is Donald Trump so popular among voters?

10 December

A petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from UK has received nearly half a million signatures, but the Republican presidential candidate remains as popular as ever across the pond.

The latest opinion polls show the business mogul occupying his strongest position yet in the race for the Republican nomination, the New York Times reports.

Most of the data were gathered before Trump's inflammatory comments about banning Muslims, but the property tycoon's presidential campaign has been dogged by controversy from the start.

Trump has been accused of making racist, misogynistic and bigoted remarks – so why does he remain so popular among voters?

His supporters typically fall into two main categories, says The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf.

"Those who earnestly believe that Trump is the best choice to lead America and those who are motivated by giddyness at the chaotic spectacle of his success."

To many Republican voters, Trump represents everything the current government is not. "It's not about trusting Trump," said one supporter. "It's a collective middle finger to the establishment."

Other voters argue that the outspoken Trump embodies the frustrations felt by America’s white middle class. "Politicians spend no time helping them. Black lives matter more and illegal immigrants who break the law get a free pass."

Republican political consultant and journalist Shermichael Singleton argues that Trump's vast fortune gives him an advantage as it means he isn't beholden to lobbyist and special interest groups.

"Voters recognise this and thus associate Trump as both a candidate who cannot be bought and one who doesn't have to play politics as usual," he writes in The Hill.

To other voters, Trump is simply a gamble worth taking. "I am of the belief that he is conceited and arrogant enough to avoid failing in front of the world at all cost," said one supporter.

British backlash to Donald Trump: five of the best responses

09 December

Donald Trump's call to ban all Muslims from coming into America – and subsequent comments about policing in London – have sparked a furious response in the UK.

From the London mayor to the country's most famous children's book author, people have rushed to condemn the Republican presidential candidate's comments. Here are five of the best responses:

Boris Johnson

Trump caused further controversy yesterday when he claimed that parts of London are "so radicalised the police are afraid for their lives".

London Mayor Boris Johnson dismissed his remarks as "complete and utter nonsense," adding: "The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump."

The Met police

The business mogul's comments didn't go down well with Scotland Yard either. "We would not normally dignify such comments with a response, however on this occasion we think it's important to state to Londoners that Mr Trump could not be more wrong," the Met Police said in a statement.

"Any candidate for the presidential election in the United States of America is welcome to receive a briefing from the Met Police on the reality of policing London," it added.

JK Rowling

Some of the strongest words came from the author, who branded Trump worse than Voldemort – the Harry Potter villain whose mission is to "purify" the wizarding race.

"How horrible," Rowling tweeted with a news link to the story about Trump's remarks, "Voldemort was nowhere near as bad."

Humza Yousaf

The Glasgow MSP is among those urging the Home Secretary to consider banning Trump from the UK, warning that his "divisive and hateful" comments would turn America into an "apartheid-state."

"We should not allow hate speech which seeks to divide communities unfettered access to the UK," the SNP minister told the Glasgow Herald.

The public

Members of the British public were equally unimpressed with the property tycoon's views, and a petition calling on the government to ban Trump from the country has received more than 50,000 signatures in less than 24-hours.

"The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech," the petition reads. "The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK.

"If the UK is to continue applying the 'unacceptable behaviour' criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful."

Republican race: Trump calls for ban on Muslims entering the US

8 December

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for a "total and complete halt" to all Muslims entering the US.

The business mogul made the announcement on his campaign website yesterday and repeated it at a rally in South Carolina to loud cheers from the crowds, the BBC reports.

The unprecedented proposal comes days after a Muslim couple shot dead 14 people in California in what has been called the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11.

The embargo, Trump says, would remain in place until the US could "figure out what is going on" and understand the "great hatred towards Americans" felt by some Muslims.

His comments sparked a furious response from the White House, human rights groups and even his fellow Republican rivals.

"Bigotry should not masquerade as a counter-terrorism measure," Margaret Huang, Interim Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, said in a statement.

"The recent surge in anti-Muslim and anti-refugee rhetoric by candidates has nothing to do with making Americans safer. It's about winning support by scaring the public," she added.

Trump's fellow Republican presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were also among those to condemn his comments, with Bush dismissing the policy as "unhinged".

But whether the criticism from his rivals will continue remains to be seen. Other extreme views expressed by Trump have pulled the Republican race to the right, says the BBC's Anthony Zurcher.

"In the end [Trump's] hardline positions became largely accepted, if not embraced, by his fellow candidates," he says.

Trump received a poll boost last month after the Paris terror attacks, when he called for a database of Muslims in America. He was leading the race for the Republican nomination until yesterday morning, when a new poll put Senator Ted Cruz in front.

The New York Times suggests that publication of the unflattering poll may have precipitated his new anti-Muslim policy.

"Hours later Mr Trump called for the ban, fitting his pattern of making stunning comments when his lead in the Republican presidential field appears in jeopardy," it says.

It may well have paid off, with early reports suggesting that Trump's supporters have welcomed the proposal. "Such is the state of the 2016 presidential campaign season so far," says Zurcher.

Republican race: Donald Trump under fire for mocking disabled journalist

26 November

Donald Trump has found himself at the centre of yet another controversy, this time for mocking a journalist with a physical disability during a campaign speech in South Carolina.

The Republican presidential frontrunner was talking about Serge Kovaleski, who now works for the New York Times, and an article he wrote about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"Now the poor guy, you gotta see this guy," said Trump, before flailing his arms at his chest in an apparent imitation of Kovaleski.

"Uhh I don't know what I said. Uhh I don't remember. He's going like 'I don't remember'".[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"87405","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]

Kovaleski was born with arthrogryposis, a condition in which joints become permanently flexed or extended, and he carries his arm at an angle.

Reacting to the incident, Kovaleski told the Washington Post: "The sad part is, it didn't in the slightest bit jar or surprise me that Trump would do something this low-rent, given his track record."

His friends and colleagues were quick to come to his defence and attack the property mogul:

The New York Times also issued a strongly-worded statement condemning Trump. "We think it's outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters," it said.

But the billionaire businessman has refused to back down or apologise for the incident, taking to social media to criticise the newspaper instead.

Republican race: Trump accused of 9/11 'memory issues'

23 November

Donald Trump is in hot water again after a series of controversial remarks targeting Muslims living in the United States.

Speaking at a rally in Alabama on Saturday, Trump claimed that "thousands and thousands of people" in Jersey City were "cheering" when the World Trade Center came tumbling down on 11 September 2001.

He repeated the claim on Sunday when grilled by ABC host George Stephanopoulos, who pointed out that police records from the time show no evidence that backs up his claims.

"It did happen. I saw it. It was on television. […] I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering as that building came down – as those buildings came down," Trump maintained.

The Washington Post debunks his claims with further evidence, and says "this appears to be another case of Trump's overactive imagination". George Pataki, the governor of New York at the time, and Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, have also publicly criticised Trump:

Trump's views don't stop there, however. In the same ABC interview, he stated that he would "absolutely" bring back waterboarding, a severe form of interrogation which involves covering a suspect's face with a cloth and pouring water over it, inducing the sensation of drowning.

The CIA has previously admitted using waterboarding to interrogate some 9/11 suspects, but President Barack Obama banned the practice in 2009 after assuming office.

"I would bring it back," said Trump. "I think waterboarding is peanuts compared to what [Islamic State would] do to us, what they're doing to us, what they did to James Foley when they chopped off his head."

In an NBC interview on Friday, Trump also said that he "would certainly implement" a database system tracking Muslims in the United States, adding that "there should be a lot of systems" in place like that.

His remarks sparked a flurry of criticism from his opponents, fellow Republicans and religious leaders, including Ibrahim Hooper, national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who said: "We're kind of at a loss for words. What else can you compare this to except to pre-war Nazi Germany? There's no other comparison, and [Trump] seems to think that's perfectly OK."

Republican candidate Jeb Bush decried the idea: "You talk about internment, you talk about closing mosques, you talk about registering people. That's just wrong. I don't care about campaigns, it's not a question of toughness. It's to manipulate people's angst and their fears. That's not strength, that's weakness."

The latest two polls, carried out for Washington Post/ABC and Fox News, before 19 November, still have Trump leading the GOP race, ten points ahead of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

Republican race: Trump brands Syria refugees 'Trojan horse' for IS

17 November

Wannabe US president Donald Trump is suffering an "epic, cringeworthy" campaign meltdown despite his polls lead, commentators say.

Last week, Trump compared his nearest rival to a "child molester" and called all Americans "stupid". Last night, he suggested buying land in Syria to create a "safe haven", he called refugees a "Trojan horse" and claimed he predicted 9/11 using skills he honed as a property developer.

Trump was treated as a joke candidate when he entered the race to be the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election, but immediately established a healthy lead and still dominates opinion polls of Republican voters.

Ben Carson – a retired neurosurgeon and the only African-American candidate – is Trump's nearest rival, says conservative US broadcaster Newsmax.

According to The Times, Carson is now making inroads, gathering support particularly among evangelical Christians who had previously given their allegiance to Trump. These voters are strategically important to both candidates. Trump has gone from a 16-point peak lead in August, to a one-point lead at the end of last month.

On the defensive at a campaign rally in Iowa last week, Trump laid into Carson, says the Washington Post, in a "rambling" 95-minute speech the Times dubs an "extraordinary rant".

Claiming to be outraged by alleged inconsistencies in Carson's rags-to-riches life story, Trump insisted his rival was suffering from a "pathological disease" of dishonesty.

He said: "If you're a child molester, a sick puppy, a child molester … there's no cure, they can't stop you. Pathological, there's no cure."

Citing Carson's account of his knife attack as a teen, Trump asked: "How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?"

Not everyone believes this erratic behaviour will damage Trump's standing, however. The Post's Greg Sargent says some commentators see this as more of the same shtik from a man who has "built his entire candidacy on calling out mass stupidity".

Sargent adds: "Voters may just acquiesce to this as another part of the show, the way audiences submit to, and even laugh along with, a stand-up comic who is brutally ridiculing them."

Trump's solution to the Syrian crisis

Last night, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Trump turned his attentions from Carson to the Middle East, saying he would "bomb the shit" out of Islamic State (IS). It was not the first time he has used that form of words but this time "it was met with slightly less gusto", says the New York Times.

He then asked why male refugees from Syria's never-ending civil war weren't "back fighting for their country" and asked: "Is this a Trojan horse?"

His suggested solution to the Syrian crisis seemed to draw on his business background: he said he would get a good deal to buy a "swatch" of land in Syria and build a "big, beautiful safe zone" where Syrian civilians could live.

Trump did predict 9/11

Speaking in Knoxville, Trump said: "I predicted Osama Bin Laden." Elaborating, he said he had used the knack he has as a property developer of "feeling" when a site is in a good location to sense that a major terror attack would hit the US.

This ludicrous-sounding claim is actually not far from the truth, says Buzzfeed, with evident surprise. One year before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center – but after an earlier bomb had gone off in that building – Trump did indeed write: "I really am convinced we're in danger of the sort of terrorist attacks that will make the bombing of the Trade Center look like kids playing with firecrackers."

Trump added that the question was not "if but when". He highlighted the threat posed by "a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama Bin Laden" in the same book.

But Trump's was far from the only voice raising concerns in 2000, when Bin Laden was already America's public enemy number one. Even analysts without the benefit of a background in real estate saw something big coming.

Republican race: who won the fourth GOP debate?

11 November

Eight leading Republican presidential candidates clashed over immigration and military spending in a two-hour debate in Milwaukee last night.

Hosted by Fox Business Network, the main debate included just eight candidates, the smallest group to share the big stage so far.

Candidates remained divided on how the US should tackle Islamic State. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump was met with disdain from other candidates for his proposal to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants from the US and build a wall at the US-Mexico border. Ohio governor John Kasich was quick to put down the call for mass deportation. "It's a silly argument. It's not an adult argument," he said. Trump was then booed by the audience after losing his temper and attempting to dismiss Kasich.

Overall, however, it was a "relatively cerebral affair", says the Washington Post. Candidates were pushed to explain their positions on substantive issues such as tax policy and the minimum wage, while little attention was paid to the personal attacks that have shaped the race in recent weeks, says the newspaper.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush focused his rhetoric on President Barack Obama and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a performance that the Washington Post says was "not dominant" but "more energetic than his earlier lacklustre showings".

Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, "reclaimed her spot as one of the field's most effective and hard-hitting debaters", says CNN.

Meanwhile, Texas senator Ted Cruz gave another "classic Cruz" performance. This could serve to further his steady rise in the polls and position him as the eventual conservative alternative to whichever "establishment candidate" emerges in the final two or three, says the network.

Marco Rubio, who has surged in the polls, had "another good night", says the BBC's Nick Bryant, while Rand Paul "probably had the best two hours of his campaign".

Bryant adds: "Ben Carson, who has faced questions about exaggerating parts of his inspiring life story, escaped unscathed. Crucially, not one of his opponents mounted an attack."

The Atlantic says that "unlike past debates, there wasn't an obvious a winner", although there was certainly a win for Fox Business, which managed to produce a substantive debate with candidates confronting each other on questions of policy, rather than "picking on each other over picayune matters".

Republican race: Trump moots Starbucks boycott over red cups

10 November

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has floated the idea of boycotting Starbucks for abandoning its traditional Christmas-themed cups.

Speaking at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, ahead of tonight's Republican debate, Trump told a crowd of more than 10,000 people there would be "no more 'Merry Christmas' at Starbucks" and said "maybe we should boycott Starbucks".

He was referring to the company's recent decision to replace its special holiday coffee cups, which in previous years have had winter motifs such as reindeer, snowflakes, Christmas trees and carol singers, with bright red ones that make no reference to Christmas at all.

The move has sparked a Christian backlash across the United States and the UK, with many accusing Starbucks of renouncing its Christian traditions. "This is a denial of historical reality and the great Christian heritage behind the American Dream that has so benefitted Starbucks," Andrea Williams of Christian Concern told Breitbart.

As for Starbucks, vice president of design Jeffrey Fields explained: "In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs. This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories."

Trump said that even though one of the most successful Starbucks cafes currently sits in Trump Tower he would not care if its lease were terminated. "If I become president, we're all going to be saying Merry Christmas again, that I can tell you. That I can tell you," he said.

CNN says Trump's comments will be well-received by the Christian Evangelical community, who are a powerful electoral force in states like Iowa and South Carolina. Those are also key target states for Republican candidate Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon turned presidential candidate, who has just outpolled Trump in South Carolina with 26 per cent to Trump's 22 per cent.

The debate tonight could further increase Carson's lead, especially after Trump's performance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) this weekend was described by many critics as a flop. As the New York Times put it, "it's been a running question of this year's Republican primary cycle: Is Donald J Trump a clown? Answer: Not nearly enough for Saturday Night Live."

Republican race: Carson leapfrogs Trump in the polls

28 October

Presidential hopeful Ben Carson has overtaken his rival Donald Trump for the first time in months on the eve of the third Republican debate.

The retired paediatric neurosurgeon is currently polling at 26 per cent – four points higher than the real estate mogul.

The other candidates vying for the Republican nomination, including Senator Marco Rubio and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, are lagging far behind in single figures.

Carson has made significant gains across many key Republican groups, says CBS News, which commissioned the poll along with the New York Times.

He is now ahead of Trump among female voters and tied with him among men. His devout Christian faith and focus on morality and family continues to endear him to the party's religious conservatives.

But neither candidate is a stranger to controversy. Trump has managed to insult huge swathes of society with his comments about women and immigrants.

Carson, meanwhile, has raised more than a few eyebrows with his views that a Muslim shouldn't be president and that stronger gun rights could have prevented the rise of Nazi Germany.

A recent poll revealed that Republican voters viewed Carson as the most honest out of the candidates and believed that he had "the best personality and temperament to serve effectively as president".

However, all of that could change after tonight's Republican debate. "Pundits panned his two previous debate performances, knocking him for being vague and unaggressive," says NewsWeek.

"How the GOP race's newest front-runner fields [tonight's] attacks will offer another angle on a candidate who is only beginning to face real scrutiny."

Donald Trump: Syrian refugees will be sent back home if I win

28 October

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has vowed to send Syrian refugees back if he is elected to the White House.

Speaking during a rally in New Hampshire, the billionaire front-runner said he was concerned that the refugees might be "an army" of Islamic State fighters. "They are all men and they are all strong," says Trump, who according to USA Today currently tops the polls in the Republican race. "This could be one of the great tactical ploys of all time! If I win, they are going back".

Immigration has been at the centre of Trump's presidential campaign, with the real estate mogul targeting, in particular, people arriving from south of the border. Earlier this year he accused Mexican immigrants of bringing drugs and crime into the US. He also described them as "rapists".

His latest comments about refugees fit in with his hardline views on the issue, but are at odds with what he said earlier this month, the BBC reports. Asked if the US should accept refugees Trump said: "I hate the concept of it, but on a humanitarian basis, with what's happening, you have to."

More than four million people have fled Syria since the conflict began and the refugee crisis continues to escalate. The US has committed to accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, but a number of senior Democrats are urging the government to increase that number to 65,000.

Trump's latest outburst was in stark contrast to comments made by fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush who said the US was "duty bound" to provide support for those fleeing war and persecution. "People are leaving not because they're immigrants looking for a better life. They're leaving because if not, they'll die," he said.

Scott Walker drops out of Republican race – who's left?

22 September

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has dropped out of the Republican presidential race and issued an appeal to counter the rise of frontrunner Donald Trump.

Back in April, Walker was leading the polls, but support waned as the field became more crowded.

In a press conference in Madison, he urged others to follow his lead to make room for those who can compete against Trump.

"I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field," he said.

The governor lamented the fact that the contest had "drifted into personal attacks". He did, however, manage to take a pop at both Trump and Barack Obama in the latest round of debates, telling Trump: "We don't need an apprentice in the White House… we have one right now."

But political commentators say he was outshone by other candidates, such as Carly Fiorina, with his share of Republican support falling from a peak of 16.6 per cent in April to less than one per cent on Sunday night.

His announcement came less than two weeks after Rick Perry suspended his presidential campaign, which had run out of money.

So who is left in the running?

Donald Trump (latest polling average: 28.5 per cent)

Real estate mogul, reality star and billionaire Donald Trump teased the US about his presidential ambitions for more than two decades. Even before announcing that he would run in 2016 he was characterising himself as the "most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far", pointing out that he owns a "Gucci store that's worth more than Romney". And since putting himself forward, he has dominated the news coverage and the polls.

Ben Carson (18.8 per cent)

A former neurosurgeon and author, Carson has no previous experience as an elected politician but is proving to be a favourite among some conservative voters and is polling ahead of all the federal officeholders. He has said that his race and upbringing give him "a great deal of perspective" when it comes to politics. He also cast himself as a person who is not "very partisan", arguing that "partisanship is actually destroying our nation". He caused controversy last week by saying he would not advocate a Muslim president and later clarified that he meant a Muslim who had not rejected Islamic law.

Jeb Bush (7.8 per cent)

George W Bush thinks his brother would make a "great president". The Republican Party tried to court the former Florida governor in 2012 but Bush decided to sit out of the race. He was leading the field in polling early on, albeit by a slim margin, but has fallen to third place since Trump joined in. Lanny Davis at Fox News thinks his positions on education and immigration reform would make him "formidable" against the Democrats, but not so popular with the far-right members of his own party.

Marco Rubio (7.3 per cent)

The junior senator from Florida announced his intent to run for president in April. The New Yorker once described him as having "a full head of thick black hair and a movie star's baby face". He speaks passionately and argues persuasively. "Tea Party activists love Rubio, and he is surely the most prominent Hispanic Republican in America," says the magazine.

Ted Cruz (6.5 per cent)

The US senator from Texas who, in March, was the first to announce his candidacy for president, has previously complained that some media outlets portray him as a "wild-eyed lunatic". A Tea Party favourite, Cruz has fought against restrictions on firearms, efforts to introduce same-sex marriage in every state and changes to the state's death penalty laws. Born in Canada to a Cuban refugee father and a mother from Delaware, he has joked that: "I'm Cuban, Irish and Italian, and yet somehow I ended up Southern Baptist."

Carly Fiorina (6.3 per cent)

The former Hewlett Packard CEO is the only woman to announce her candidacy for the Republican nomination. Like Carson, she lacks significant political experience, though she ran for California senator Barbara Boxer's seat in 2010 and soundly lost. The Guardian describes her as "Hillary Clinton's most antagonistic foil" – and she has proven to be a compelling antagonist to Trump too.

Mike Huckabee (4.8 per cent)

The former governor of Arkansas and Southern Baptist pastor entered the 2016 race in May. He was popular among Republicans in the 2008 primary, finishing second behind Senator John McCain for the nomination. Huckabee says he has "a proven track record of bringing together diverse people of different backgrounds". However, bringing together the people of Arkansas may prove difficult, considering Hillary Clinton's husband is also a former governor of the state.

Rand Paul (3.5 per cent)

The former ophthalmologist and junior US senator for Kentucky has been trailing is also courting the Tea Party vote. Formally announcing his White House campaign, Paul vowed to "beat the Washington machine" and wield a "message of liberty". He is "100 per cent pro-life" and has proposed a "stand with Israel act" to cut off US money to the Palestinian Authority. He has also been known to delay Senate proceedings with extended filibusters, the longest of which lasted nearly 13 hours in 2013.

John Kasich (2.5 per cent)

Kasich was one of the latest entrants in the primary this summer. The second-term governor of Ohio set out a surprisingly leftist stall in his announcement speech, urging the crowd to feel empathy for people who "don't have the fortune we have". He detailed his long career in government, including 18 years in the US House of Representatives, as evidence that he would make a successful president, and also promised better fiscal discipline and a stronger military.

Chris Christie (1.8 per cent)

The governor of New Jersey has spoken out against abortion rights and for debt-free college tuition, saying costs need to be contained, but he added: "There is nothing free in this world – we need to earn what we get." Many in his own state are vehemently opposed to the notion of Christie as president; the editorial board of the state's largest newspaper, the Star Ledger, warns that Christie may start World War III if elected president.

Rick Santorum (0.8 per cent)

The former senator from Pennsylvania is trying his luck again at a White House bid after a strong bid for nomination in 2012. He launched his campaign with a speech that highlighted his family story, touching on veterans' issues, as both of his parents worked for the Veterans Administration. A staunch social conservative, Santorum appeals mainly to those opposed to abortion and gay marriage, though 2016 may see the former senator widen his platform to cover more bases.

Bobby Jindal (0.3 per cent)

The Louisiana governor passed up a White House bid in 2012, which may now seem like a mistake – the field is substantially more competitive this time around. In 2012, Jindal was seen as a rising star in the party, but his approval rating has been falling ever since. He has presented himself as a "doer" rather than a "talker", but has faced criticism at home for focusing on his impending presidential run instead of Louisiana's financial problems. An Indian-American, Gilmore was raised as a Hindu, but later converted to Roman Catholicism and has accused liberals of putting Christianity "under assault". He has also criticised Obama of failing to do enough to destroy Islamic State, he opposes same-sex marriage and he has likened immigration by Muslims to an "invasion".

Lindsay Graham (0 per cent)

The South Carolina senator, who declared his candidacy in June, has been accused by many of being too moderate throughout his conservative political career. His name has gained some prominence in the news, but perhaps not for the best reasons. The two most popular recent events have been Graham calling rival Donald Trump a "jackass" after Trump insulted Senator John McCain's prisoner-of-war status, and Trump publically revealing Graham's personal phone number. But in such a crowded primary, any publicity at all could prove beneficial for those who want to stand out from the herd.

George Pataki (0 per cent)

Pataki declared his candidacy in what CNN called a "long-shot" bid for the White House in late May. The former three-term governor of New York, who was in office during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, believes that his history of leadership is enough to upset a bloated primary field in which he seldom registers in surveys.

Jim Gilmore (0 per cent)

The former Virginia governor has been out of political office since 2002, although briefly joined the 2008 Republican presidential nomination race. He later made a bid for the Senate in Virginia but was defeated by a Democratic opponent. According to his campaign site, he serves on the boards of several major American corporations, has chaired the board of visitors of the US Air Force Academy and has been partner at a national law firm. He wants to "win the war" against terrorists and tackle climate change without agreeing to any treaties, passing any laws or issuing any regulations that "strangle the economy".