Donald Trump yesterday insisted he "cherishes" women even as he refused to apologise for appearing to suggest that a female journalist was menstruating during last week's debate.
Mr Trump said "only a deviant" would think he was implying that Megyn Kelly, a Fox News anchor, was hormonal when he said she had "blood coming out of her wherever" during Thursday's debate.
The Republican frontrunner insisted he was no sexist and had "always had a great relationship to the women" and that many of the executives in his multibillion dollar property empire were female.
"I pay them a tremendous amount of money," Mr Trump told ABC, as he described himself as a champion of women in the workplace. He later added: "I cherish women. I want to help women."
During appearances on four different Sunday television shows, Mr Trump mixed his usual combination of insults, bluster and the occasional non-sequitur.
"It's very hard for them to attack me on looks, because I'm so good looking," he told NBC when asked about his tendency to make disparaging comments about women's appearances.
Mr Trump leads the Republican field in the polls but has found himself under fire from all sides since his outbursts against Ms Kelly, one of America's best-known television anchors.
Jeb Bush, his closest rival in the polls, led the demands for Mr Trump to apologise and warned that his comments risked turning women voters away from the Republicans in next year's election.
"What Donald Trump said is wrong. That is not how we win elections," Mr Bush said.
Although Mr Trump is ahead in the polls his campaign organisation is a chaotic affair and this weekend he parted ways with Roger Stone, a long-time political strategist.
The strategist said he was dismayed to watch the candidate become mired in a "food fight" with Fox News.