Emotions have oscillated between shock and disappointment for Democratic supporters this morning after learning their 45th President would not be the first woman ever elected to the White House.

There were tears after Donald Trump stormed to victory and reports Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and others were spotted crying backstage after Hillary Clinton conceded defeat.

But in the midst of disappointment, there was also defiance and hope. A resurgence of support for Bernie Sanders is now coursing through some corners and almost immediately after the results of the election were announced the issue of whether Mr Sanders could have stood against the President-elect had he secured the Democratic nomination became a burning question.

Bernie Sanders was right that he was the only one to beat Trump

Now the socialist former mayor, 74, is being handed a mandate from his supporters - step forward once again and run for president in 2020.

Mr Sanders' policies centred around closing the wealth inequality gap across the US, creating access to free health care and education, creating a living wage, tackling racial inequality and introducing a “fair and humane” immigration policy. He ran a campaign that was essentially the polar opposite of Mr Trump’s, who vowed to repeal Obamacare and promised to start deporting millions of undocumented immigrants within his first hour in office.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didn’t know the air conditioner didn’t work and sweated like dogs, and they didn’t know the room was too big because they didn’t have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me —and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

Mr Sanders would be 78 by the next election, making the prospect of him running highly unlikely.

But that hasn’t deterred his most ardent supporters.

The calls come as a series of polls conducted suggest Mr Sanders would have had a better chance of defeating Mr Trump than Ms Clinton.

Mr Sanders was enlisted by Ms Clinton to help woo voters in the crucial swing state of Ohio - a move that ultimately proved unsuccessful when it voted for Mr Trump.