Trump was quick off the mark when he tweeted his reaction to the federal appeals court refusing to reinstate his travel ban, but his former rival Hillary Clinton was not far behind.

The panel of three judges from the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block a lower-court ruling that suspended the ban and allowed previously barred travellers from seven predominantly Muslim nations to enter the US.

Moments after the court's ruling, President Trump shouted on Twitter: "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

The tweet provoked a frenzied response on social media, with users mocking his statement and use of Twitter.