Donald Trump has history of questionable behaviour with women, says New York Times

Interviews with dozens of women who have worked for Donald Trump or interacted with him socially reveal a pattern of often unsettling personal behaviour by the Republican presidential candidate, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The Times, which said it based the article on more than 50 interviews, quoted women who recounted episodes in which he treated women as sexual objects and made comments about their bodies. But some women said Mr Trump had encouraged them in their careers and promoted them within his businesses, often in positions in which women tended to be excluded.

When asked about the unflattering incidents described in the article, Mr Trump either denied that they took place or disputed the details, the newspaper said.

“A lot of things get made up over the years,” Trump told the Times. “I have always treated women with great respect.”

On Sunday, Mr Trump took to Twitter to blast the article.

“The failing @nytimes wrote yet another hit piece on me. All are impressed with how nicely I have treated women, they found nothing. A joke!” read one tweet.

“Why doesn’t the failing @nytimes write the real story on the Clintons and women The media is TOTALLY dishonest!” read another.

Barbara Res, who oversaw construction of Mr Trump’s Manhattan business headquarters, said he would sometimes interrupt meetings with comments about women’s figures.

During a job interview for a Los Angeles project, for example, Mr Trump made a random aside about Southern California women. “They take care of their asses,” Ms Res recalled Mr Trump saying. Years later, when Ms Res says she had gained weight, she said Mr Trump told her: “You like your candy.” Even so, Ms Res, who worked for Mr Trump for 12 years before quitting and then came back as a consultant for six more, said she was grateful to Mr Trump for her professional opportunities, though she said he frequently called her “Honey Bunch,” the Times reported.

Barbara Fife, former deputy New York mayor, recalls Mr Trump telling her at her office that he was in a hurry because he had “a great date tonight with a model for Victoria’s Secret,” she told the Times.