America's UN ambassador says women who made sexual misconduct claims against Donald Trump 'should be heard'

America’s ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has broken ranks with the White House by saying that women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct “should be heard”.

The remark from one of the highest-ranking women in the administration will trigger renewed scrutiny of the claims of at least a dozen women who accuse the president of forcible kissing, unwanted touching or groping.

Until now, Mr Trump and his inner circle have maintained that the allegations are “fake news” and that US voters had shown they gave them little credence by electing the 71-year-old billionaire.

But Ms Haley, 45, said yesterday that women who claim to have been victimised by Mr Trump should be treated in the same way as others who have come forward with allegations of sexual impropriety against men from all walks of life.

“They should be heard, and they should be dealt with,” she told CBS’s Face the Nation programme. “And I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”

An interview with three women who have made allegations against Mr Trump, including former Miss USA contestant Samantha Holvey, was set to be aired on NBC’s Today breakfast show today. Ms Holvey has said that Mr Trump had inspected contestants in a way that made her feel “dirty”.

The president has denied the women’s claims.

The #MeToo movement to denounce sexual harassment has been gathering momentum since its launch in October.

Some politicians have been forced from office but the president has been left largely unscathed by allegations made against him during last year’s election.

In her interview with CBS, Ms Haley said of the president: “I know that he was elected. But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them.”

Speaking more generally about women who have spoken out against sexual abusers, she said she was “incredibly proud of the women who have come forward”.

“I’m proud of their strength,” she added. “I’m proud of their courage. And I think… it will start to bring a conscience to the situation, not just in politics, but in, you know, we’ve seen in Hollywood and in every industry. And I think the time has come.”

Ms Haley, a former South Carolina governor, had been touted as a possible replacement for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson if he was pushed out by the president.