Republican outrage was swift and severe as the GOP sought to distance themselves from Trump’s shocking remarks about women.
Donald Trump’s campaign goes into a free-fall in the wake of controversy surrounding his shockingly crude 2005 hot mic moment.
As CNBC reports, the response by Republican Party Chair Reince Priebus was “devastating.”
“No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” said Priebus, who has defended previous inflammatory comments by Trump.
NBC News reports that House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned Trump’s comments. “I am sickened by what I heard today,” he said. “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.”
Ryan added that Trump was “no longer attending” what NBC News describes as “a high-profile scheduled event with Ryan and Priebus in Wisconsin on Saturday.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement shortly after Ryan, blasting Trump’s “repugnant” comments.
“As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the utter lack of respect for women shown in his comments on that tape,” he added.
As NBC News pointed out, “Priebus has stood by Trump through previous crises while Ryan and McConnell have often stayed quiet rather than criticize him, making their statements especially dramatic.”
CNN reports that “Journalists covering a Toledo, Ohio campaign stop by Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were ushered out of a restaurant soon after the story broke. The press was supposed to cover Pence looking at a wall of signed hot dogs, including one by Trump, but were later told they couldn’t record the moment.”
The Associated Press adds that “Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was ‘beside himself’ and his wife was furious, according to a person familiar with their thinking. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to share the private discussion.”
Former Republican rival Jeb Bush tweeted “As the grandfather of two precious girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump’s reprehensible comments degrading women.”
“Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America’s face to the world,” Mitt Romney posted on Twitter.
The Los Angeles Times reports that former Republican presidential candidate John McCain issued the following statement: “No woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences.”
“Make no mistake the comments were wrong and offensive. They are indefensible,” John Kasich tweeted.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who recently stated he would vote for Trump, called for Trump to drop out of the race.
Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk tweeted that Trump “should drop out,” that the “GOP should engage rules for emergency replacement.” NBC News reports that Kirk went on to call Trump “a malignant clown — unprepared and unfit to be president of the United States.”
Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the House Oversight Committee chairman who led the Hill investigation into Clinton’s email use while secretary of state, told CNN‘s Don Lemon that he could no longer support Trump’s campaign for president.
“My wife, Julia and I, we have a 15-year-old daughter. Do you think I can look her in the eye and tell her that I endorsed Donald Trump for president when he acts like this and his apology? That was no apology, that was an apology for getting caught,” Chaffetz said, adding: “So I’m not going to put my good name and reputation and my family behind Donald Trump when he acts like this, I just can’t do it.”
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah Gov. Gary Herbert withdrew his endorsement, stating that he would no longer vote for him.
NBC News reports on additional Republican backlash such as that from Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who called Trump a role model in a recent debate, who immediately issued a statement on Friday calling Trump’s comments “totally inappropriate and offensive.”
Several other Republican Senators took to Twitter to express their scorn: Pat Toomey tweeted that Trump’s comments were “outrageous and unacceptable,” and Rob Portman who said they were “offensive and wrong.”
Terry Gainer, a former US Senate sergeant at arms who rarely makes political comments, emailed CNN stating: “It is not just woman who should shun Trump. Any gentleman, every husband, each father of a daughter, brother of a sister and sons must be outraged. How do I explain this to my granddaughters? If only a Republican leader would stand and exhibit a profile in courage.”
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