Trump says his past accusers influence his thinking on Kavanaugh

US president Donald Trump has acknowledged that past accusations of sexual misconduct against him have influenced the way he views similar allegations against other men, including his Supreme Court nominee.

Wading into the #MeToo moment, Mr Trump said he views such accusations “differently” because he has “had a lot of false charges made against me”.

He made the comments at a news conference in New York a day before Judge Brett Kavanaugh was set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.

While Mr Trump pledged to listen to the testimony of Mr Kavanaugh’s accuser and even said he was open to changing his mind about his nominee, he made clear that he was deeply sceptical of these types of accusations.

“It’s happened to me many times,” he said, claiming he had been accused — falsely — by “four or five women”.

During the free-wheeling news conference, Mr Trump continued to lash out at Democrats and label the allegations against Mr Kavanaugh politically motivated.

He also expressed frustrations with the delays in the process guided by Republicans and took a shot at lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is representing the latest accuser.

Mr Trump’s remarks underscored the complexity of the moment, as Republicans seek to continue their efforts to install conservatives on the high court.

While Republicans want to move forward, they are mindful of the fallout if they do not take the accusations seriously. Should the effort fail, the party would likely explode in finger-pointing that could have implications in the November elections.

“Republican senators have delayed this for weeks now,” Mr Trump said. “They are giving the women a major chance to speak.”

He added: “It’s possible that I’ll hear that and I’ll say I’m changing my mind.”

Pushed to acknowledge the cultural moment, Mr Trump repeatedly returned to the idea that qualified men would lose out on jobs because of allegations.

“I don’t want to be in a position where people say, ‘No, thanks. I spoke to somebody 38 years ago, and it may not be good’,” he said, adding: “The people that have complained to me about it the most about what’s happening is women.”

Mr Kavanaugh and his chief accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, who says Mr Kavanaugh assaulted her in high school, are both expected to testify on Thursday.

Ms Ford has claimed that Mr Kavanaugh tried to remove her clothes and clamped a hand over her mouth at a party when both were in high school.

Another woman came forward over the weekend, telling The New Yorker magazine that Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party when both were Yale freshmen.

And on Wednesday, a woman represented by Mr Avenatti — who shot to fame as the lawyer taking on the president for porn actress Stormy Daniels — made another accusation of misconduct.

Mr Kavanaugh has steadfastly denied all the allegations.