A U.S. news website says U.S. President Donald Trump has told confidants he'll declare victory on the night of the U.S. presidential elections on Tuesday if it looks like he's "ahead" even before all votes have been counted.

Axios released the report on Sunday, quoting three sources familiar with his private comments. 

According to the website, Trump has privately talked about this scenario in some detail over the last few weeks, describing plans to walk up to a podium on election night and declare his victory.

The report said that for this to happen, Trump’s allies expect he would need to either win or have commanding leads in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, Arizona and Georgia.

The report said Trump has devised such plans even if the Electoral College outcome still hinges on large numbers of uncounted votes in key states like Pennsylvania.

Trump denied the Axios report, saying it was false.