Image copyright AFP/getty Image caption Mr Trump says he wants to remove barriers to business

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he could cut as many as 70% of federal US regulations if he is elected.

Mr Trump, who was speaking at an event in New Hampshire, blamed regulations for stifling business but said rules on safety and the environment could stay.

Earlier, one of his advisers said 10% of regulations could be eliminated.

He will face Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the second televised debate in St Louis, Missouri, on Sunday.

"We are cutting the regulation at a tremendous clip," Mr Trump said. "I would say 70% of regulations can go. It's just stopping businesses from growing."

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Trump campaign adviser Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier, had told Reuters news agency a Trump administration would push for a much lower level of regulation cuts.

"We need regulation but immediately every agency will be asked to rate the importance of their regulations and we will push to remove 10% of the least important," he said.

Mr Scaramucci added that Mr Trump would seek to make changes to previous banking reforms, removing the most "anti-business" parts of the Dodd-Frank reforms passed after the 2008 financial crisis.