Former Minister Pat Rabbitte has said Donald Trump is “amazed” to have won the White House, and that not too much should be read into his conciliatory words since election night.

He warned about “becoming complacent” about the election of Donald Trump.

Mr Rabbitte said: “I don’t know what Donald Trump stands for. I don’t put much weight on the tenor of his acceptance speech.

“The easiest speech any politician will make is the one after you’re elected.

“Events have taken over and he is in the White House, and I think he’s just amazed.”

Meanwhile, it has emerged Hilary Clinton has told supporters she blames FBI director James Comey for her surprise defeat.

Mr Comey released a letter 11 days before the election announcing she was once again being investigated for using a private email server – before again clearing her two days before polling day.

During a phone call with senior campaign donors, Mrs Clinton said she was winning until FBI director James Comey sent a letter to Congress announcing that the FBI had uncovered emails possibly related to its earlier probe into her use of a private server as secretary of state.

The new examination was sparked by an unrelated investigation into former New York politician Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of her senior aides.