Donald Trump endorsed by former KKK leader David Duke for saying some 'incredibly great things'

Trump has made a number of controversial statements about immigration in the US

(AP)

Donald Trump has received support from an unlikely - and no doubt unwanted - corner after a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan publicly endorsed the Republican nominee.

Fresh from kicking journalists out of press conferences for challenging him on immigration, the business tycoon continues to attract attention and divide America with his controversial and often questionable views. But despite this, he still enjoys support from many Republican voters and often emerges top of opinion polls.

Now David Duke, a former grand wizard of the KKK and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, has got behind Trump’s presidential bid, praising him for really “going all out” with his campaign on his radio show.

In comments first reported by Buzzfeed, Duke told his listeners: “He’s saying what no other Republicans have said, few conservatives say. And he's also gone to the point where he says it's not just illegal immigration, it's legal immigration."

Trump has come under fire for accusing Mexico of sending "rapists" and "criminals" across the border and vowed to build a wall if he is elected.

Duke, a Holocaust denier described by the Southern Poverty Law Centre as the most recognisable figure of the American radical right, praised Trump for being a good salesman and understanding that his “path to popularity” lies with addressing migration.

“And he has really said some incredibly great things recently,” he went on. “So whatever his motivation, I don’t give a damn. I really like the fact that he’s speaking out on this greatest immediate threat to the American people.

“Although we can’t trust him to do what he says, the other Republican candidates won’t even say what he says. So he’s certainly the best of the lot. And he’s certainly somebody that we should get behind in terms, you know, raising the image of this thing.”

Trump has yet to respond to Duke's comments.