Two friends of a woman accusing Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s have said she told them about the alleged attack at the time.

E Jean Carroll, an American journalist, claims Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman more than 20 years ago.

The US president has strongly denied the allegation, saying Carroll was "totally lying" and adding that he had never met the magazine columnist.

On Thursday two women, both journalists, came forward to support Carroll's claims, saying she had confided in them at the time of the alleged attack.

Carol Martin, a former New York news anchor, and Lisa Birnbach, a writer and best-selling author, described in a New York Times podcast how they had differing reactions when Carroll told about the incident.