Branding Donald Trump a "dangerous demagogue", USA Today has urged its readers not to vote for the Republican presidential candidate, but the national newspaper is not endorsing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton either.

SEE ALSO: New York Times newspaper endorses Clinton

It said in an editorial on Thursday it had never taken sides in US presidential elections in its 34-year history, but was abandoning the practice because the New York real estate magnate was unfit for the presidency.

It went on to list and expand on eight reasons for its stance, including: "He is ill-equipped to be commander in chief", "He trafficks in prejudice", and "He's a serial liar".

"Trump's foreign policy pronouncements typically range from uninformed to incoherent," the editorial said.

Trump and Clinton are locked in a close race for the November 8 election. A majority of Americans say Clinton won their first presidential debate on Monday, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll.

USA Today, published by Gannett Co Inc, said its editorial board was divided on Clinton, and some of the reservations about the former secretary of state centred on her "sense of entitlement, her lack of candour and her extreme carelessness in handling classified information".