People have reacted with fury after it emerged Donald Trump had bragged about being able to do "anything" he wants to women.

A recording made apparently accidentally by Access Hollywood when a microphone was left on in 2005 was obtained by the Washington Post.

In it, the Republican nominee talked about attempting to woo a married woman and said he could do what he liked because he was a "star".

He said: "I'm automatically attracted to beautiful women, I just start kissing them, it's like a magnet.

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"I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the p****.”

Twitter users reacted with dismay:

Commenting on the revelations, Daily Beast writer Erin Gloria Ryan compared Mr Trump to a "pickup artist" – men who offer other men often misoygnist advice on how to attract women.

She described him as "boorish, unpolished, and pushy, but ultimately able to use alpha male behaviour to win and eventually claim his woman-shaped reward".

She added that "the story of Donald Trump’s misogyny is so old that if it were a person, Donald Trump probably would not date it" and catalogued some of the recent controversies over his attitude to women such as calling a former Miss Universe "fat" and claiming he would date his daughter Ivanka if she were not related to him.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didn’t know the air conditioner didn’t work and sweated like dogs, and they didn’t know the room was too big because they didn’t have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me —and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

When the footage came to light, Mr Trump's campaign apologised if "anyone was offended".

A statement issued on his behalf said it was "locker room banter".