Donald Trump has hit back with a childish tirade at former FBI chief James Comey’s claims that he is “morally unfit” to be president.

The US president branded Mr Comey a “slimeball” and called for him to be jailed for “leaking classified information” and “lying to Congress” in his latest Twitter outburst.

Mr Comey accused Mr Trump of treating women as “pieces of meat” in a major television interview broadcast on ABC on Sunday night following the publication of his explosive memoirs.

During the interview Mr Comey claimed that Mr Trump is a liar and may have obstructed justice.

"I don't buy this stuff about him being mentally incompetent or early stages of dementia.

"I don't think he's medically unfit to be president. I think he's morally unfit to be president.

"Our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country. The most important being truth. This president is not able to do that," he said.

Mr Trump accused the former FBI director, who he sacked in 2016, of “many lies” just hours before the interview aired.