US election: Senior Republicans condemn Trump's lewd comments about women
16 minutes ago
VIDEO - Donald Trump is heard saying "you can do anything" when you're a star
Senior Republicans have condemned obscene comments Donald Trump made about women in a 2005 videotape.
In the video, posted by the Washington Post .. http://tinyurl.com/hphrlfy , Mr Trump is heard telling TV host Billy Bush "you can do anything" to women "when you're a star".
The New York businessman bragged about trying to have sex with a married woman as well as kissing and groping others.
Mr Trump later issued an apology: "I said it. I was wrong, I apologise. I pledge to be a better man."
Earlier on Friday, when the video first emerged, he had dismissed it as "locker room banter" and added "Bill Clinton has said far worse to me".
After the video became public on Friday evening, senior Republicans were harsh in their condemnation of Mr Trump's comments.
House Speaker Paul Ryan rescinded his invitation to Mr Trump to attend the Republican Fall Fest in his home state of Wisconsin this weekend.
Mr Trump said that his vice-presidential running mate Mike Pence would represent him at the Wisconsin event.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the comments were "repugnant," adding that Mr Trump "needs to apologise directly to women and girls everywhere".
Another senior Republican, John McCain, said there were "no excuses for Donald Trump's offensive and demeaning comments".
The video has emerged two days before Mr Trump takes part in the second presidential debate with his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
The two candidates will be in St Louis for the televised encounter, with polling day only a month away.
'Automatically attracted'
The clip was part of unaired footage of an Access Hollywood segment ahead of Mr Trump's appearance on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
"I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it," Trump is heard saying. "She was married. And I moved on her very heavily."
"I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look."
Later in the conversation, he told Bush he is "automatically attracted to beautiful" women and often tries to kiss them.
"I just start kissing them," he said. "I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything."
"Grab them by the pussy," Mr Trump says. "You can do anything."
"This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago," the statement read.
"Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close. I apologise if anyone was offended."
For his part, Mr Bush said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" at the contents of the video.
"It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago - I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."
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Analysis by BBC North America reporter Anthony Zurcher
AP
Donald Trump has often found himself in hot water for public comments he's made about women over the years. It turns out he's said lewd and disparaging things in private as well. Go figure.
The videotape release comes at a most inopportune time for the Republican nominee, who was trying to use his running mate's well-received debate performance on Tuesday to reboot his campaign after a week of distractions and controversy. On Wednesday he told a local news interviewer that his previous offensive comments about women - which have dogged his campaign since the first Republican primary debate last August - were made for the "purpose of entertainment".
That explanation doesn't fit with the boorish, newly married Trump shown on the video privately boasting about his efforts to seduce a married woman and have his way with whomever he pleases.
Now Mr Trump will enter Sunday's debate with a new cloud hanging over his candidacy. It's almost certain that one of the town hall participants will ask him about it. There may be no easy way to respond - but Mr Trump will have to find an acceptable answer. If he bungles it, everything else he says during the 90-minute debate won't matter.
Hillary Clinton described the comments as "horrific".
"We cannot allow this man to become president," she posted on Twitter.
Mr Trump has said he will not bring up stories about Bill Clinton's infidelities in this Sunday's US presidential debate after previously threatening to do so.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said: "I am sickened by what I heard today.
"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."
VIDEO [outdated - Why Trump will not attack Hillary over Bill's affairs
rooster -- right now there is rapidly increasing reporting that all kinds of top GOP figures, including officeholders, party officials and donors, are meeting all over the country discussing getting Trump off the ticket -- and there's apparently going to be a new Trump video regarding the situation released any time now http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=125664152
Access Hollywood has interviewed Donald Trump hundreds of times over the past 20 years. On the heels of Mr. Trump’s denial of claims contained in an Associated Press story in which 20 former "Apprentice" employees described Mr. Trump’s behavior toward women as lewd and inappropriate, Access Hollywood has retrieved from its archives Mr. Trump’s comments from 2005 about women.
AP: 'Apprentice' cast and crew say Trump was lewd and sexist
By GARANCE BURKE Oct. 3, 2016 5:55 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — In his years as a reality TV boss on "The Apprentice," Donald Trump repeatedly demeaned women with sexist language, according to show insiders who said he rated female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with.
The Associated Press interviewed more than 20 people — former crew members, editors and contestants — who described crass behavior by Trump behind the scenes of the long-running hit show, in which aspiring capitalists were given tasks to perform as they competed for jobs working for him.
The staffers and contestants agreed to recount their experiences as Trump's behavior toward women has become a core issue in the presidential campaign. Interviewed separately, they gave concurring accounts of inappropriate conduct on the set.
Eight former crew members recalled that he repeatedly made lewd comments about a camerawoman he said had a nice rear, comparing her beauty to that of his daughter, Ivanka.
During one season, Trump called for female contestants to wear shorter dresses that also showed more cleavage, according to contestant Gene Folkes. Several cast members said Trump had one female contestant twirl before him so he could ogle her figure.
Randal Pinkett, who won the program in December 2005 and who has recently criticized Trump during his run for president, said he remembered the real estate mogul talking about which female contestants he wanted to sleep with, even though Trump had married former model Melania Knauss earlier that year: "He was like 'Isn't she hot, check her out,' kind of gawking, something to the effect of 'I'd like to hit that.' "
The Trump campaign issued a general denial. "These outlandish, unsubstantiated, and totally false claims fabricated by publicity hungry, opportunistic, disgruntled former employees, have no merit whatsoever," said Hope Hicks, Trump's campaign spokeswoman. "The Apprentice was one of the most successful prime-time television shows of all time and employed hundreds of people over many years, many of whom support Mr. Trump's candidacy." She declined to answer specific questions that were emailed and declined an interview request.
Former producer Katherine Walker said Trump frequently talked about women's bodies during the five seasons she worked with him and said he speculated about which female contestant would be "a tiger in bed."
A former crew member who signed a non-disclosure agreement and asked not to be identified, recalled that Trump asked male contestants whether they would sleep with a particular female contestant, then expressed his own interest.
"We were in the boardroom one time figuring out who to blame for the task, and he just stopped in the middle and pointed to someone and said, 'You'd f... her, wouldn't you? I'd f... her. C'mon, wouldn't you?'"
The person continued: "Everyone is trying to make him stop talking, and the woman is shrinking in her seat."
Other cast and crew interviewed said they had positive, professional experiences with Trump, and added that they had never heard comments that made them uncomfortable.
"He was extremely supportive. You could tell there was so much respect there on all sides, especially with the female athletes," said contestant and U.S. softball star Jennie Finch, a two-time Olympian. "Obviously, he was complimentary, but never in an inappropriate way."
Contestant Poppy Carlig, who performed the twirl, said she considered Trump's request "playful banter." She added: "I don't immediately jump to the conclusion that people are having bad intentions with what they are saying. He said I reminded him of his daughter and I thought that was really touching because I know how much he values his family."
Twelve former contestants or members of the crew spoke on the record about what they described as Trump's inappropriate behavior. Another nine spoke to the AP about their concerns regarding Trump's treatment of female colleagues but said they did not want to be identified because they signed non-disclosure agreements, or were concerned about wrecking their careers or retaliation from Trump.
Most offered no opinion on the November election in the course of their interviews, but the majority of those who did said only that they were not supporting Trump.
Trump points to his record of hiring women, but he has often been accused of sexist behavior; at the first Republican debate, in August 2015, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly asked whether a man who has called women "fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals" has the temperament to be president. After that debate, Trump attacked Kelly and her questioning, "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."
The remarks of former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who said Trump called her "Miss Piggy" because she'd gained weight during her reign, became campaign fodder last week following the first presidential debate. Trump used to own the pageant.
NBC, which broadcast the hit series, referred questions to executive producer Mark Burnett, whose studio referred calls to a public relations firm. The public relations firm did not respond to multiple voicemails and emails seeking comment. AP previously asked Burnett to provide original footage for review, but those calls were not returned.
Debuting in 2004, "The Apprentice" and a spinoff, "Celebrity Apprentice," propelled Trump to national stardom following a string of bankruptcies and bad business deals in the 1990s that had splintered his New York-based real estate empire. The series, meant to showcase Trump's business acumen, became a major hit and Trump's name became a global brand that helped launch his political career.
But on the set, usually inside Trump Tower, the former cast and crew members say, the businessman's treatment of women was sometimes far from professional.
Walker, who said she was the only high-level female producer during the first season, said Trump turned to her during a break outside of the control room to ask who he should fire. Walker demurred, she said, but noted that team members had told her one contestant had caused her team to lose their business task. Trump raised his hands and cupped them to his chest to ask whether it was a contestant with large breasts, she said.
"He said, 'You mean the one with the' — and he puts his hands out in a gesture to signal the girl with the giant boobs. He didn't even know her name," Walker said, adding that the contestant, Kristi Frank, was fired at the end of the episode.
"I thought he noticed my hard work, but I guess he didn't," said Frank, a former restaurant owner who studied industrial engineering.
She said that after Trump delivered his punch line "You're fired!" he told her fiancé that "of all the girls," she was the contestant he would have chosen to marry.
"It makes me a little sick," Frank said. "It's kind of sweet, but it makes me feel like 'OK, he's checking me out again.'"
In portions of boardroom sessions never broadcast, Trump frequently would ask male contestants to rate the attractiveness of their female competitors, former crew members and contestants said.
"If there was a break in the conversation, he would then look at one of the female cast members, saying 'you're looking kind of hot today, I love that dress on you,' then he would turn to one of the male cast members and say 'wouldn't you sleep with her?' and then everyone would laugh," said a former crew member who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a non-disclosure agreement. "There would be about 10 or 12 cameras rolling and getting that footage, which is why everybody was like, this guy just doesn't care."
Trump would carry on with the questions even if all involved were married, said Gene Folkes, who appeared on the program in 2010.
"If you didn't answer, he would dig in and say, 'Do you think so and so is attractive? Would you sleep with her? Well, what about if you really had to, would you?'" Folkes said. "It was so bizarre, because he (otherwise) seemed so professional."
Folkes said he also remembered that Trump "asked one of the women their breast size at one point, or said, 'are those real or natural?'"
Jim Dowd, who did public relations for Trump, NBC and "The Apprentice" shows between 2003 and 2009, said Trump was a "lover of women" and a "guy's guy."
"Was he complimenting the women? Of course. Was he behind closed doors with just the guys rating the women, who were the hotter ones on the show? Yes, he certainly was prone to that," said Dowd, who was interviewed before his September 18 death.
"I never heard him say anything about women's bodies, but he was definitely unscripted," said former producer Michael Dietz.
Eight former crew members said Trump took a fancy to a particular female camera operator, and frequently gave her attention that made many on the set feel uncomfortable. Two former crew members said the woman made it clear to them privately that she did not like Trump's comments.
Walker, the former producer, said it was clear Trump was attracted to the camera operator as far back as 2003.
"He said something like she was cute and she had a nice ass, and it was brought to my attention by someone else that he had a crush on her," Walker said. "We all knew, so that's uncomfortable in and of itself. I remember it being too much, that he made it obvious."
Rebecca Arndt, a camera assistant who worked on the show following Trump's 2005 marriage, said Trump would stop production to make comments about the camera operator's looks in front of the crew.
"I remember being in the foyer once with eight or 10 cameras set up and he said something about her being so pretty," Arndt said. "He would make it about his line of sight, like 'There is a beautiful woman behind that camera, so I only want to look at that.' It was supposed to be considered a compliment, but of course it was inappropriate."
German Abarca, another former camera operator, said most of the camera crew knew that Trump was attracted to their colleague.
Abarca said the woman was the frequent subject of ribbing by others in the crew, almost all of whom were much younger than Trump. "I think she mostly tried to ignore it."
Arndt said that Trump would publicly discuss the woman's beauty and how her blue eyes and blonde hair compared to his daughter Ivanka's looks.
"He would just mention it all the time. I remember him comparing Ivanka to her and saying that only Ivanka was prettier," she said.
The woman did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment. The AP spoke in person twice with her husband, who said his wife did not wish to be interviewed, "doesn't have a problem with Donald Trump" and denied she had been subjected to repeated, unwanted attention from Trump.
One former contestant, Tyana Alvarado, said she wasn't offended when Trump told her she was attractive — but noted that he played by his own rules.
"Most men have to behave because they are in a workplace, but he could do what he wanted," Alvarado said. "In all jobs, people have to sign sexual harassment paperwork, but Mr. Trump was putting on a TV show so he got to do it."
CNN’s Erin Burnett Reports Donald Trump Kissed Her Friend Without Consent
“Trump took Tic Tacs,” the woman told Burnett. “Then leaned in ... catching me off guard and kissed me.”
By Ben Walsh 10/07/2016 10:15 pm ET
CNN’s Erin Burnett reported Friday night that a woman she’s friends with told her that in 2010, Donald Trump kissed her without her consent. Burnett reported that the GOP presidential nominee allegedly invited the woman into his office alone, told her she was special and gave her his cell phone number. “I ran the hell out of there,” the woman told Burnett.
The report of the alleged assault comes hours after an explicit 2005 video emerged in which Trump can be heard discussing women in lewd terms to TV show host Billy Bush, saying, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women]. I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.” Trump goes on to say that “when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Burnett’s friend said she recognized that detail. “The Tic Tacs,” Burnett said, quoting her friend. “That’s exactly what Trump did to me. Trump took Tic Tacs, suggested that I take them also. He then leaned in ... catching me off guard and kissed me almost on the lips. I was really freaked out.”
The woman told Burnett that after kissing her without her consent, “Trump asked me to come into his office alone. I figured I could handle myself. Anyway, once in his office he kept telling me how special I am and gave me his cell phone and asked me to call him. I ran the hell out of there.”
The story Burnett reported is not the first time Donald Trump has been accused of doing exactly what he brags about in the video: kissing women without their consent. In May, as part of a story reporting on Trump’s long history of inappropriate behavior toward women, The New York Times reported that in 1997 Trump kissed Temple Taggart, then the 21-year-old Miss Utah, on the lips without asking. “He kissed me directly on the lips,” she told the NYT [ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/us/politics/donald-trump-women.html ]. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, gross.’” Taggart added that she thought “there were a few other girls that he kissed on the mouth. I was like ‘Wow, that’s inappropriate.’”
In a statement released Friday, Trump brushed off the severity of the 2005 conversation.
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago,” Trump said. “[Former President] Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course ? not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.”
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