Trump replaced 'dark-skinned' Miss Universe contestants: Book

US President Donald Trump is once again at the heart of a controversy.

He reportedly was partial to Eastern European women and replaced contestants who he thought were 'too ethnic' or 'dark-skinned' while he was the head of the Miss Universe pageants from 1996 to 2015,

Journalists Michael Isikoff and David Corn have made the shocking revelation in their book Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump.

The former Apprentice host was given a special room backstage of every pageant where he would review the judges' picks a few days before the competition, reports The Cut.

Citing the excerpt from the upcoming book, the American biweekly magazine reports that Trump reportedly focused particularly on the footage of finalists in evening gowns or swimsuits and would override their decisions if he disagreed.

'If there were too many women of colour, he would make changes,' a former staffer claimed.

Another staffer alleged that Trump, 71, had a specific 'type' such as 2012 winner Olivia Culpo and Dayanara Torres, who took home the crown in 1993, as well as 'East European women.'

However, some staffers said they were able to change Trump's mind by revealing that the contestants had ties to royalty or had famous husbands.

'If he didn't like a woman because she looked too ethnic, you could sometimes persuade him by telling him she was a princess and married to a football player,' a staffer said.

Paula Shugart, the president of the Miss Universe Organization would at times challenge Trump on his choices, but was not always successful, according to the excerpt.

Another staffer claimed that Trump once rejected a woman who 'snubbed his advances.'

The book also reveals Trump was very particular with his demands, even down to his snacks, insisting he needed his favourite treats: 'Nutter Butters, white Tic Tacs, and Diet Coke.'

He also required unscented soap, rolled towels instead of folded, and did not want any 'distracting' pictures on the wall.

The Daily Mail has quoted a number of contestants who took part and won in the pageant during Trump’s years.

Shi Lim, who competed as Miss Singapore in 2013, told the New Yorker: 'The finalists were picked by Trump. He was really in charge. We called it the Trump card.'

Adwoa Yamoah, who competed as Miss Canada in 2012, added: 'He made comments about every girl: "I've been to that country." "We're building a Trump Tower there."

'It was clear the countries that he liked did well. He basically told us he picked nine of the top fifteen.'

And during Trump's nearly 20 years with Miss Universe, multiple pageants were hosted in cities where Trump had business ties and several finalists were from countries where ratings were consistently high, according to the New Yorker.

Miss Universe 2013 was Gabriela Isler from Venezuela, a country that had a contestant in the finals 16 times under Trump's 19 years with Miss Universe.

Venezuela also donated $500,000 to Trump's inauguration fund, despite their economic turmoil, according to an April 2017 report from CNBC.