Senator Tim Kaine has made history by delivering the first presidential campaign speech entirely in Spanish.

The democratic vice presidential nominee took to the stage to deliver the historic speech in front of several hundred people at an election rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday.

The state carries 11 electoral votes, and nearly a third of its population is Hispanic.

Kaine took a swipe at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling him "a clown" for suggesting Mexican immigrants were "drug dealers, rapists and murderers".

He said: "[Trump is] someone who thinks that reaching out to the Latino community means tweeting a picture of a taco bowl.

"Spanish was the first European language spoken in this country.

"The Hispanic community has been part of our country since the Spanish arrived in St. Augustine in 1565. That was well before the British landed in North America, 42 years before the British arrived in Jamestown, Virginia."

In 2013, Kaine was the first senator to deliver a full speech in Spanish to the Senate's floor, and his decision to target Arizona was hoped to end decades of Republican support in the state.

Only one Democratic candidate - Bill Clinton in 1996 - has won the state since 1948.