Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has accused the publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer, who has been described as a close friend of President Donald Trump, of trying to blackmail him over lurid photos.

Bezos, the world's richest person, owns The Washington Post, a frequent target of Trump as he assails the US media as "enemy of the people" and a source of fake news. The National Enquirer accessed private text messages and last month reported that Bezos had an extramarital affair with Sanchez - a leak that led to his divorce. On Thursday, Bezos said the tabloid's parent company had threatened to publish intimate photographs he sent to his mistress.