Donald Trump insists he respects women, says comments were 'for the purpose of entertainment'

Donald Trump defended his derogatory comments about women Wednesday by saying it was all done in the name of "entertainment." "A lot of that was done for the purpose of entertainment, there's nobody that has more respect for women than I do," Trump told News 3's Jim Snyder ahead of a rally in Nevada.

Trump's admission followed Snyder's question about whether Trump, as the dad to two daughters, could "understand the concern from parents of younger girls that some of your comments could be hurtful to girls struggling with body image and the pressure to be model perfect." Trump has frequently criticized women's appearances, calling them "slobs," "disgusting animals," "pigs," and "bimbos."

As for Snyder's question of whether he's "trying to tone it down now" that he is the Republican Party's presidential nominee, Trump said that it's "not a question of trying." "It's very easy," Trump said.

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Last week, Trump criticized former Miss Universe Alicia Machado for gaining "a massive amount of weight."