Interview with Trump accuser cut short over bizarre rape remark

A seasoned CNN presenter was visibly flustered by a bizarre claim from an author who is accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault.

E. Jean Carroll, 75, was giving an interview to anchor Anderson Cooper days after she accused the US President of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store.

However, Cooper quickly called for an ad break after his guest began to explain that "most people see rape as being sexy".

CNN's Anderson Cooper cut short an interview with E. Jean Carroll's after she made an uncomfortable claim about rape. Photo / CNN

When Carroll was asked about the alleged incident involving President Trump, which he has strongly denied, she told Cooper: "I was not thrown on the ground and ravished."

"The word rape carries so many sexual connotations … this was not sexual," she claimed.

Cooper appeared to take issue with the statement, saying: "I think most people think of rape … as a violent assault. It is not sexy."

However, Carroll disagreed, saying: "I think most people see rape as being sexy."

After an awkward pause, she added: "They think of the fantasies."

The camera then cut to a shot of Cooper who looked stunned by the comment and began to stumble over his words as he called for an ad break, adding.

E. Jean Carroll claims she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump, a claim he denies. Photo / CNN

"We'll talk more on the other side," he said.

Carroll, a New York-based advice columnist, then stared at the host, nodding slowly.

"You're fascinating to talk to," she said.

Trump yesterday denied the claims he sexually assaulted the columnist in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s saying "she's not my type".

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened," he told The Hill in an interview at the White House.