PORTSMOUTH, United States (AFP) – Donald Trump charged yesterday that “corrupt” media were seeking to rig November’s presidential election in favour of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

His White House campaign in chaos over snowballing accusations of sexual assault, Trump has cast himself as the victim of a “smear campaign” and further escalated his attacks on his rival heading into the final weeks of the race.

“Hillary is running for president in what looks like a rigged election,” he told a fired-up rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

“The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president.”

Trump tweeted a similar allegation yesterday morning to his 12 million followers, charging: “Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election.”

As the Manhattan billionaire tanks in the polls, he has spent the last week claiming the media and a “global elite” is working against him, and that Clinton had plotted to destroy the sovereignty of the United States.

“Either we win this election or we lose this country,” he told supporters in New Hampshire.

“I really believe this is the last chance we have to win. I really believe it. Not going to happen again.”

Trump’s attacks on the Clinton camp have raised concerns about whether the real estate mogul would even acknowledge a defeat, and how his supporters would react should he lose.

President Barack Obama echoed those concerns at a campaign rally Friday.

“This is somebody who… is now suggesting that if the election doesn’t go his way, it’s not because of all the stuff he’s said, but it’s because it’s rigged and it’s a fraud,” Obama said.

“You don’t start complaining about the refs before the game’s even done. You just play the game, right?”