Actress Emily Ratajkowski has defended the First Lady after she claimed a New York Times journalist told her “Melania is a hooker”.

The actress and model, who is a vocal feminist and Bernie Sanders supporter, tweeted about the alleged comment on Monday, claiming that whatever political beliefs a person holds, it does not excuse “slut shaming”.

She tweeted: “Sat next to a journalist from the NYT last night who told me ‘Melania is a hooker’. Whatever your politics it’s crucial to call this out for what it is: slut shaming,” she tweeted. “I don’t care about her nudes or sexual history and no one should.

“Gender specific attacks are disgusting sexist bulls***.”

Mrs Trump responded to Ms Ratajkowski’s comments from the official First Lady twitter account, writing: “Applause to all women around the world who speak up, stand up and support other women!”

She credited Ms Ratajkowski in the tweet by citing her twitter handle, @emrata, adding the hashtags #PowerOfEveryWoman and #PowerOfTheFirstLady.

Ms Ratajkowski is a vocal feminist and regularly calls out negative comments about female nudity. The tweet pinned at the top of her Twitter page states: “Women choosing when and how they want to share their sexuality and bodies.”

A New York Times spokesperson said: “At a party on Sunday night, a Times reporter who does not cover Washington or politics, referred to an unfounded rumour regarding Melania Trump.