Republicans on Friday quickly condemned the lewd comments about women made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a 2005 conversation, and some called for him to drop out of the race.
In the newly-released recording, published Friday by the Washington Post, Trump brags about hitting on a married woman and groping women, saying “you can do anything” to them “when you’re a star.” Republicans, including the party’s most senior leaders, immediately denounced Trump’s comments and called for an apology.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who endorsed Trump but has often distanced himself from some of the nominee’s controversial remarks, said Trump will no longer be attending a scheduled joint rally in Wisconsin on Saturday.
“I am sickened by what I heard today,” Ryan said in a statement. “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. 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.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the remarks “repugnant, and unacceptable in any circumstance.”
“No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris, the highest-ranking woman in the House, said: “It is never appropriate to condone unwanted sexual advances or violence against women.”
Here are some more of the reactions from Republican leaders across the country:
