Donald Trump hits back at media over groping allegations

Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on the US media, fighting against a series of reports of sexual-misconduct accusations by several women.

Facing mounting allegations that threaten to derail his presidential campaign, the Republican candidate declared war on the media, pitching his defence in a fight for “the survival of our nation” in the election.

Speaking in Florida on Thursday at his first rally since the fresh allegations, he accused the media and the “Clinton machine” of engaging in a “concerted, coordinated and vicious” attack in response to leaked emails that surfaced on WikiLeaks aimed at hurting Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

“These vicious claims about me, about inappropriate conduct with women, are totally and absolutely false, and the Clintons know it,” Mr Trump said.

Days after denying he had ever kissed or groped women without their consent – as he had boasted in a 2005 tape leaked last week – Mr Trump defended himself against the new accusations.

The allegations were “all fabricated,” he said. “They’re pure fiction and outright lies. These events never happened,” he said, promising to produce evidence that they were not true.

He appeared to insult Natasha Stoynoff, a writer with People magazine, who claimed that Mr Trump forced himself on her at his Florida home in December 2005 during a break in an interview while his heavily pregnant wife went upstairs to change for a photo shoot.

‘Hands everywhere’

“Take a look, you take a look, look at her, look at her words – you tell me what you think. I don’t think so,” he said, suggesting her looks were sufficient evidence to discredit her allegation.

On Wednesday night, the New York Times reported allegations by two women, Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks, that Mr Trump groped and kissed them without consent.

Ms Leeds said Mr Trump grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt while sitting next to her in a first-class seat on a flight more than three decades ago. “He was like an octopus,” she said. “His hands were everywhere.”

Addressing the report in Florida, Mr Trump said: “Facts mean nothing: third-rate journalism.”

The newspaper rejected a request from his lawyer to retract and apologise for the story, pointing to his own past admissions and public comments of multiple women in its defence.

Another woman claimed on Wednesday that Mr Trump groped her at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida 13 years ago, while several women alleged that Mr Trump walked into their dressing rooms while they were taking part in the Miss Teen USA beauty pageant owned by the businessman.