The former US president has maintained that the result of the election - in which Joe Biden won the keys to the White House - was incorrect, with many of his supporters and confidants also expressing doubts about the vote.

His supporters stormed the US Capitol in January 2021 in the wake of the result.

On his Truth Social platform, he said: "I hear that deranged Jack Smith, in order to interfere with the presidential election of 2024, will be putting out yet another Fake Indictment of your favourite president, me, at 5pm.

"Why didn't they do this 2.5 years ago? Why did they wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign. Prosecutorial misconduct!"

Mr Trump's latest charges add to his ongoing legal woes, with recent court appearances in Miami and New York.

In Miami, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to allegations that he unlawfully kept national security documents when he left office and lied to officials, trying to recover them.

He also pleaded not guilty in New York to 37 charges, relating to falsifying business records "in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election".

Mr Trump is also counter-suing E. Jean Carroll, who alleged he raped her in the 1990s - he was found guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming her, but not raping Ms Carroll in a civil case.