WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Secret Service has increased its protective bubble around Mr Joe Biden as chances increased that he will be the next US president, the Washington Post reported on Friday (Nov 6).

The Secret Service sent an extra squad of agents to Mr Biden's campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, as expectations rose that the Democratic candidate would be able to declare victory over President Donald Trump as early as Friday, the Post reported.

The Secret Service, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is in charge of protecting the White House and senior government officials, visiting high officials, and others.

It had already deployed some agents to protect Mr Biden around early July after he triumphed in the Democratic Party's presidential primaries.

As a former vice-president, Mr Biden could have requested Secret Service protection before then, but reportedly did not.

If Mr Biden becomes president-elect, Secret Service protection is expected to ramp up to a higher level.

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