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Donald Trump walks away from two interviews when asked about sexual assault claims and racism

Before a rally in Delaware and Columbus, Ohio, the Republican nominee cut interviews short when asked uncomfortable questions

Rachael Revesz
New York
Friday 21 October 2016 17:13 BST
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Trump walks out of interview after being asked about racism and sexism allegations

Donald Trump cut off two reporters this week when he was asked tough questions about racism and his treatment of women, video footage shows.

Speaking backstage at a rally event in Colombus, Mr Trump answered questions with WCMH-TV reporter Colleen Marshall for about three minutes before the interview turned sour.

He had just finished saying how his tax cuts would be even larger than Ronald Reagan's when Ms Marshall said to him: "Nineteen days out from the election, you’ve been labeled a racist, you’ve been called a sexist, how—"

"Thank you very much," he replied, walking away.

"How do you respond to that?" the reporter pressed.

"I am the least racist person you have ever met," he said.

The same day, Mr Trump and his team cut an interview short with 10TV’s Kevin Landers short before a rally in Delaware.

He was asked about the latest woman to accuse him, Karena Virginia, who claimed he touched her inappropriately at the US Open in Queens in 1998.

"I know the woman came out today about the US Open who says you groped her, today, can you answer allegations about that?" Mr Landers asked.

Someone signaled to Mr Trump to cut the interview by saying they were out of time.

"I know nothing about that," Mr Trump said.

"About the US Open allegations—"

"No," Mr Trump replied. "I know nothing."

Members of his family have also walked out of interviews.

His eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, walked out of an interview with Cosmopolitan after a reporter asked her “negative” questions about her father’s plan to provide six weeks of paid maternity leave to women who were not already covered by their employers.

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