Donald Trump uses word 'rape' in discussion about allegations of sexual misconduct against Bill Clinton

The billionaire business mogul upped his rhetoric after a New York Times article questioned his own record on women

Donald Trump has used the word rape while discussing historic allegations of sexual assault against the former US President Bill Clinton.

Mr Trump was asked about an unflattering article in The New York Times examining his relationships with women which included an allegation from one of his former female employees, who claimed he had tried to grope her under a dinner table.

Mr Trump’s fierce rebuttals of the piece helped it to become the paper’s most read story in a year. One of the women quoted in the piece, Rowanne Brewer Lane, later claimed her remarks had been taken out of context and were misleading, and Mr Trump’s campaign branded the article “libellous because it was factually inaccurate.” The New York Times said it stood by the piece and insisted Ms Lane was quoted “fairly and accurately”.

The presumptive Republican was asked about the article during an interview with Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

“By the way, you know, it's not like the worst things, OK,” Mr Trump said in reference to the article. “You look at what Clinton's gone through with all of the problems and all of the things that he's done.”

Hannity then asked if the New York Times would interview three women who have accused Mr Clinton of sexual misconduct.

“In one case, it's about exposure. In another case, it's about groping and fondling and touching against a woman's will,” said Hannity.

”And rape,” Mr Trump added. “And rape,” Hannity repeated.

Mr Trump has used Mr Clinton to attack Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic nomination, writing on Twitter in December: “If Hillary thinks she can unleash her husband, with his terrible record of women abuse, while playing the women’s card on me, she’s wrong!”

Hillary Clinton’s spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement: “Trump is doing what he does best, attacking when he feels wounded and dragging the American people through the mud for his own gain. If that's the kind of campaign he wants to run that's his choice.”

In 1998, Mr Clinton agreed to an $850,000 settlement with an Arkansas state worker who claimed he propositioned her and exposed himself when Mr Clinton was the state's governor. The settlement included no apology or admission of guilt.

In 1999, a woman claimed she was raped by Mr Clinton at a Little Rock hotel in 1978. There were inconstancies in her account and he denied the allegations against him. No charges were ever brought forward.

A former White House volunteer also claimed he groped her in his office in 1993. He denied this and no civil or criminal charges were brought against him.

A spokesperson for Mr Clinton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press