Donald Trump apologises for 'grab them by the pussy' lewd conversation about women

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has apologised after a video emerged showing him making lewd comments about women.

In a statement on Friday (7 October), the billionaire property mogul described the comments as "locker room banter" adding: "I apologise if anyone was offended."

Trump was caught in a conversation with Billy Bush, host of Access Hollywood on the set of daytime soap opera Days Of Our Lives, in which he was making a cameo appearance according to Sky News.

The pair are heard talking about actress Arianne Zucker, with Trump suggesting he might want to kiss her. "I've got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her," he is heard saying. "You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful ... I just start kissing them."

In the 2005 video, obtained by the Washington Post, Trump is also heard saying that he tried to sleep with an unidentified woman, bragging that his social status meant he could kiss beautiful women if he wanted to. "...when you're a star they let you do it," he says. "You can do anything."

Defending his comments, Trump issued a statement saying: "This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close."

Trump frequently alludes to former president Bill Clinton's past infidelity in a stab at his rival in the presidential race, Hillary Clinton.

While it has been reported that he intends to highlight the former president's indiscretions during his second presidential debate with Clinton on Sunday, the Democratic nominee didn't wait to condemn him for his misogyny.

Writing on Twitter Clinton said: "This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president."

During the first debate she poured scorn on Trump, decrying his lack of respect for women, as she highlighted the derogatory and vulgar statements he made about former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who he referred to as Miss Piggy because she gained weight.

He later attempted to explain his offensive remarks about the beauty queen, claiming the comments were intended as "entertainment" further stating that they did not reflect his "true feelings".

"There's nobody that has more respect for women than I do," he insisted.

Trump's attitude towards women has become a central issue in the 2016 presidential campaign following reports of his frequently crass behaviour.