Every female Republican in the U.S. Senate has either condemned Donald Trump or renounced their support for his presidential campaign within 24 hours of his White House bid being called into question upon the release of a 2005 recording where he’s heard making vulgar comments about women.
The remarks were first reported Friday afternoon by the Washington Post, and all six female Republicans in the Senate had weighed in by the same time Saturday.
Susan Collins of Maine told the Portland Press Herald she believes the comments demonstrate why the Republican Party’s candidate is “unsuitable for the presidency,” while Lisa Murkowski of Alaska tweeted that Mr. Trump has “forfeited his right” to the nomination.
Two others — Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Deb Fischer of Nebraska —each signaled support for Mr. Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Ms. Ayotte said she’d write Mr. Pence in on the November ballot while Ms. Fischer said he should take over the GOP presidential campaign.
“The appropriate next step may be for him to reexamine his candidacy,” Sen. Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia said of Mr. Trump in a statement Saturday.
“There is no excuse, and no room for such reprehensible and objectifying talk about anyone, ever,” opined Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.
Despite calls to exit the race in the aftermath of the recording’s release, a defiant Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday that he isn’t throwing in the towel.
“The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly — I WILL NEVER DROP OUT OF THE RACE, WILL NEVER LET MY SUPPORTERS DOWN!” he wrote on Twitter.
At least nine of the 22 female Republicans in the U.S. House had publicly condemned Mr. Trump’s comments as of Saturday afternoon, CBS News reported, while the remaining members had not gone on the record about the leaked remarks.
The newly unearthed audio included Mr. Trump making vulgar comments while taping a television appearance 11 years ago for “Access Hollywood.”
“You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. I just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,” Mr. Trump said in the audiotape. “Grab them by the p—y. You can do anything.”
Mr. Trump apologized in a video statement Saturday where he said the remarks don’t reflect the person he is today. He’s slated to debate Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in St. Louis on Sunday night.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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