WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - United States Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has denied a report by the Associated Press (AP) earlier on Tuesday (Dec 8) that he would visit the majority-Muslim kingdom of Jordan at the end of December.

Mr Trump said in a tweet: "Despite my great respect for King Abdullah II, I will not be visiting Jordan at this time. This is in response to the false @AP report."

Mr Trump, currently the party's front-runner for the November 2016 election, came under criticism from around the world after he called on Monday for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.

The AP did not provide a source for its report.