The US presidential campaign has become one of the most bitter on record as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump vie to be elected commander in chief in November. Catholic voters, especially the swing ones in key marginal states, could be the passport to the Oval Office

Every four years, America’s presidential candidates solemnly proclaim that this year’s election marks a clear fork in the road, a turning point. This year, such hyperbole is not hyperbole as the United States prepares to choose between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Analysing the phenomenon of Trump has captivated pundits all year. When he promised to build a wall between the US and Mexico, because so many of the immigrants were “rapists and murderers”, analysts said his comments were so offensive that he would be out of the race in a week. His poll numbers rose.

When Trump insulted Senator John McCain’s heroism as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, saying he preferred heroes who were never captured in the first place, Trump’s poll numbers advanced again.