Donald Trump says his raunchy comments about women were 'entertainment'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that derogatory and vulgar statements he has made about women were for the sake of "entertainment".

They did not reflect his "true feelings", he insisted, adding: "There's nobody that has more respect for women than I do."

Trump was responding to yet more criticism — this time from a Nevada reporter — for calling women "fat slobs", "dogs" and "disgusting".

"You have two beautiful daughters," said a reporter for Las Vegas TV station KSNV. "Can you understand the concern from parents of younger girls that some of your comments could be hurtful to girls struggling with body image and the pressure to be model perfect?"

Trump responded, without elaborating: "A lot of that was done for the purpose of entertainment."

"Are you trying to tone it down now?" the reporter asked.

"It's not a question of trying; it's very easy," Trump replied.

Meanwhile, Trump turned to a predawn Twitter tirade to re-insult former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, calling her "disgusting", after Hillary Clinton criticised him for calling Machado Miss Piggy because she gained weight, and Miss Housekeeping because she's Latina.

Numerous staff members and contestants on the set of his Apprentice reality show also reported recently that Trump frequently commented about women's breast size, his urge to "do them", and publicly asked men if they would like to have sex with women within earshot to whom he pointed.

Rudy Giuliani's daughter Caroline comes out in support of Clinton

One of a slew of American women who are not voting for Trump but who has been for Clinton "all along" is the daughter of diehard Trump supporter and top advisor Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City.

"I love Hillary, I think she's by far the most qualified candidate that we've had in a long while," Caroline Giuliani told Politico.

"My dad knows" about the endorsement, said Giuliani, who just declared "I'm with her" on her Facebook page. "He is fully comfortable with it and thinks I have a right to my opinion."