US Election 2016: Trump in crisis after lewd remarks about women come to light

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump plunged into a deep crisis on Friday after a bombshell 2005 recording came to light in which he boasted in vulgar terms about trying to have sex with an unidentified married woman and groping women, saying "when you're a star, they let you do it."

A stream of Republican leaders denounced the remarks, first published by the Washington Post, which threaten Trump's already shaky standing with women voters just a month ahead of the November 8 presidential election. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican elected official, said he was "sickened" by the comments and said Trump would no longer attend a campaign event in Wisconsin with him on Saturday.

Paul Ryan 54th and current Speaker of the US House of Representatives

I hope Mr Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests.

Reince Preibus, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), said: "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the comments were "repugnant" and that Trump "needs to apologise directly to women and girls everywhere." US Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who has been one of Clinton's fiercest critics, said he had retracted his endorsement of Trump, telling CNN he would not be able to look his 15-year-old daughter in the eye if he voted for Trump. 

Utah's Republican Governor Gary Herbert said on Twitter he would also no longer vote for Trump. "Tonight, millions of Republicans are facing a moment of truth," Herbert said.

Donald Trump's statements are beyond offensive & despicable. While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump. #utpol

— Gary R. Herbert (@HerbertForUtah) October 8, 2016

Republican lawmaker Mike Coffman from Colorado told CBS that Trump should "step aside" and said "his defeat at this point seems almost certain".

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tweeted:

Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America's face to the world.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 8, 2016

Trump released a video statement late on Friday to address the issue.

Here is my statement. pic.twitter.com/WAZiGoQqMQ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2016

Earlier, in a brief written statement, Trump shrugged off the leaked tape as "locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago".

In the recorded conversation, Trump was wearing a microphone and chatting on a bus with Billy Bush, then host of NBC's Access Hollywood ahead of a segment they were about to tape. "I did try and f*** her. She was married," Trump said. "I moved on her like a b****, but I couldn't get there."

Trump talked about his attraction to beautiful women. "I just start kissing them," he said. "And when you're a star they let you do it," he said. "Grab them by the p****. You can do anything."

Trump, who has brought up former President Bill Clinton's infidelities as a criticism of Hillary Clinton, calling her a "total enabler," responded to the audio. "Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close. I apologise if anyone was offended," Trump said.

Access Hollywood confirmed the video in its own report, saying it discovered the comments in its library. Billy Bush said in a statement to Variety he was "embarrassed and ashamed" of his comments. Other prominent Republicans also condemned the comments but stopped short of withdrawing their support for their candidate, including Arizona Senator John McCain and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. 

There are no excuses for Donald Trump’s offensive behavior. Cindy & I will not vote for him. My full stmt: https://t.co/MOw0rx4LSI

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) October 8, 2016

These comments are disturbing and inappropriate, there is simply no excuse for them.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 8, 2016

NBC had tape 11 yrs. Apprentice producer says they have more & worse. So why not release in 2015? In March? Why wait till October? #MSMBias https://t.co/WCEEHhZKd6

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 9, 2016

NEW GROUND

Trump, known for his unconventional and controversial speaking style, has made a series of gaffes in his campaign, but the "graphic nature" of the clip will hurt his standing among women, independents, and wavering Republicans, said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. "We've never seen something like this Trump clip in a modern presidential campaign," Yepsen said, calling the incident "sad for the American political system" and for Trump's supporters.

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said "this feels like it is quickly becoming a political 'game over'" for Trump. "Unless voters don't care about these issues or believe that this is simply political dirty tricks by releasing the videos now, Trump is going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat in order to turn things around," Bonjean said.

Still, Trump's past controversial comments have failed to shake his core supporters, said David Axelrod, a former political adviser to Democratic President Barack Obama. "Appalling as the (Trump) tape is, I'm reminded of all the times we have said, THIS time he's REALLY done," Axelrod said on Twitter.

The revelation came right before Sunday's town hall-style debate.