Mr Stone said he wants an honest, legal and transparent election in which the real winner takes office – but he ruled out Joe Biden as that real winner and said “force will be met with force” if Mr Trump is not re-elected.

He recommended “forming an election day operation using the FBI, federal marshals and Republican state officials across the country to be prepared to file legal objections [to voting results] and if necessary to physically stand in the way of criminal activity”.

Mr Stone went on to suggest that journalists, specifically those from the Daily Beast, be jailed if they are found to be involved in “seditious and illegal activity”, in response to a report on the website detailing what left-wing groups plan to do if Mr Trump loses November’s election but refuses to leave office.