In a 2005 video, Donald Trump talks on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman
With his campaign in crisis, US presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed on Saturday to stay in the race despite calls from more than two dozen prominent Republicans for him to drop out following the release of a recording of him making lewd comments about women.
Both Trump's wife and his running mate criticised his words, saying they were insulting and indefensible.
The video was the latest calamity for Trump, who had hoped to revive his flagging campaign in the face of a recent drop in polls with less than a month until Election Day. Trump is due to appear alongside Democrat Hillary Clinton on Sunday in their second debate in the runup to the general election. Clinton is not expected to address Trump's video before then.
The 2005 video of Trump talking on an open microphone showed the then-reality TV star speaking about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. The video was taped only months after Trump married his third wife, Melania. In a statement, Melania Trump called her husband's words "unacceptable and offensive to me".
"This does not represent the man that I know," she said. "He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world."
In an unusual move, his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence issued a critical statement of Trump's words, saying on Twitter that he "cannot defend them."
"As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump," said Pence, who is governor of Indiana. Pence indicated he would continue to support Trump, despite calls from several Republicans for Trump to step aside and let Pence be the nominee.
There is no precedent for a major party to replace its nominee this late in the campaign and it was unclear if there was an avenue to force him out. Voting has begun in several states, including swing states Virginia and North Carolina.
The backlash over the video was swift and widespread. More than 60 prominent Republican current and former officeholders issued statements condemning Trump's remarks about women, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and John McCain, the party's standard bearer in 2008. More than 20 called for Trump to end his presidential bid.
Paul Ryan said he was “sickened” by Donald Trump’s remarks, according to The New York Times and chose to uninvite Trump to a rally on Saturday in Wisconsin, his home state.
John McCain on Saturday released the a statement withdrawing his support of Donald Trump.
A recorded apology by Trump early on Saturday did not stymie an avalanche of calls from members of his party to quit.
Trump huddled on Saturday in Trump Tower with senior advisers, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Despite previous scheduling, Giuliani will appear on five major Sunday morning news programs, a rare round robin reserved for major news events - replacing Republican Chairman Reince Priebus on CBS's Face the Nation and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Fox News Sunday, a last-minute switch. No reason was given for the bump of Conway.
A CBS news release said the RNC asked to replace Priebus because Trump's operation wanted "a campaign person" to appear on the program. Trump left the building briefly to greet a small crowd of supporters, saying "100 percent" he would remain in the race. Before returning to a bank of elevators, he told reporters, "Tremendous support."
He quickly moved to do damage control in Saturday's video in which he declared himself a changed man and attempted to shift the focus to his opponent Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. On Twitter, Trump posted critical statements from Juanita Broaddrick, a woman who has accused Bill Clinton of sexually assaulting her. "Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologise," Trump said in his video statement, posted on his Facebook page.
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