Donald Trump has launched a rare attack on Michelle Obama, suggesting the First Lady insulted Hillary Clinton ahead of her husband’s first election victory.

Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the Republican candidate complained that “all she wants to do is campaign”.

"I see how much [Mrs Obama] likes Hillary,” Mr Trump added.

"But wasn't she the one that originally started the statement, 'If you can't take care of your home,' right?

Mr Trump accused Michelle Obama of taking a swipe at the Clintons' relationship (Getty Images)

"'You can't take care of the White House or the country?' Where's that? I don't hear that. I don't hear that."

The magnate was referring to remarks made as Barack Obama ran against Ms Clinton in the 2007 Democrat primaries.

"If you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House," Mrs Obama said while campaigning for her husband.

The couple subsequently denied suggestions it was a swipe at Ms Clinton’s relationship with her husband Bill, saying it was about their own attempts to balance family and politics.

Mrs Obama’s speech in Iowa had continued: “So, we've adjusted our schedules to make sure that our girls are first, so while he's traveling around, I do day trips.

"That means I get up in the morning, I get the girls ready, I get them off, I go and do trips, I'm home before bedtime."

Mr Trump has made several references to the Clintons’ marriage and the former President’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

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He defended the strategy on Friday, claiming he had refused campaign managers’ calls to bring up his rival’s personal life.

“I said, ‘We can’t say that [about Ms Clinton]. It’s too vicious.’,” he told supporters.

“I said that - ‘We can’t say that.’ They said, ‘Well, Michelle Obama said it.’ I said, ‘She did?’”

Mrs Obama has been prominently campaigning for Ms Clinton, speaking at rallies on the election trail and appearing in adverts.

Her impassioned response to footage showing Mr Trump making obscene remarks about women in 2005 made headlines last week.

Without mentioning the Republican candidate by name, Mrs Obama launched a visceral attack saying she was “shaken to the core”, adding: “I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women…this is not something we can ignore.”

Polls indicate that Ms Clinton has extended her lead over Mr Trump over the course of three television debates, with her rival hinting at defeat by suggesting the election is “rigged”.