House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is “sickened” by the comments GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump made about women over a decade ago, and their plans to appear together Saturday are now canceled.
Mr. Ryan initially refused to endorse Mr. Trump after it was clear he would be his party’s nominee earlier this year, but he eventually came around to support him in a tepid fashion.
The alliance, though, has been rocky and the 2005 audio of Mr. Trump talking about women in a vulgar way apparently was too much for the Wisconsin Republican to bear.
“I am sickened by what I heard today,” Mr. Ryan said in a statement. “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified.”
Mr. Trump apologized if anyone was offended by his comments. He described it as locker room banter and said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s husband has told him worse tales about his escapades during their golf outings.
“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,” Mr. Ryan said. “In the meantime, he is no longer attending tomorrow’s event in Wisconsin.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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