Barack Obama branded Donald Trump "repugnant" following the leak of a video which showed him boasting about groping women.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there was wide agreement that Mr Trump's comments on the recording "constituted sexual assault".

He said the President found the tape "as repugnant as most Americans did".

His comments about the 2005 incident came just hours after the Republican candidate unleashed a Twitter attack on his own party members and as campaigners called on the makers of the US version of The Apprentice to release more footage rumoured to show Mr Trump making offensive remarks.

Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016

Civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred - a Hillary Clinton supporter - was joined at MGM's offices by women's groups, where she said it was in the "public interest" that the tapes be disclosed "immediately, unless there is a legal prohibition to doing so".


Reeling after numerous Republican defections following the release of the Access Hollywood tape, Mr Trump called House Speaker and party colleague Paul Ryan a "very weak and ineffective" leader who was offering "zero support" for his campaign.

Trump's 'locker room banter' splits America

He later tweeted to say he was pleased "the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to", adding: "Disloyal Rs are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don't know how to win - I will teach them!"

:: Do increasing gaps in polls spell the end for Donald Trump?

Mr Ryan responded to the jibes by urging Mr Trump to spend more time trying to defeat Democrats than fighting fellow Republicans.

At a rally in Florida, Mr Trump praised Wikileaks for releasing hacked Clinton campaign documents, claiming they showed his opponent "is the vessel (of) a corrupt global establishment that's raiding our country and surrendering the sovereignty of our nation".

In a rambling speech in Panama City, the tycoon at one stage urged his supporters to get out and vote on 28 November - the wrong date. He used the correct date (8 November) later in his address.

Senior Republican abandons Trump after second debate

Mrs Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta said the FBI was investigating the "criminal" hack of his emails.

He also claimed Russia was responsible for the hack and could be colluding with the Trump campaign.

Following the release of the video, Mr Trump initially said he was sorry "if anyone was offended" by the "locker room banter".

:: Donald Trump's back catalogue of controversial comments

In the clip, he brags about women letting him kiss and grope them because he is famous, saying "when you're a star they let you do it".

He continues: "Grab them by the p****. You can do anything."

A more forthright apology saying he regretted the incident was issued after a backlash which saw party colleagues desert him.