Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape

Donald Trump, Republican nominee for President of the United States

On October 7, 2016, during the Presidential campaign of 2016, The Washington Post released a video and accompanying article about Donald Trump and Billy Bush having "an extremely lewd conversation about women" in 2005. In the video, Trump indicated that that he might start kissing a woman that he and Bush were about to meet during the filming of an episode of Access Hollywood. Trump then 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", a description of sexual assault.

News of the recording broke two days before the second 2016 presidential debate between Trump, the Republican nominee, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump gave a statement in which he apologized for the video's content and also added an accusation that Hillary Clinton's husband Bill Clinton had abused women.

The recording touched off an immediate uproar from media figures and politicians across the political spectrum. Statements from Republican officials have been varied. Some, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Trump's running mate Mike Pence, and RNC Chair Reince Preibus, indicated their disapproval of Trump's words but did not renounce their support or call for his resignation from the ticket. Other Republicans, most prominently former presidential nominee John McCain, stated that they will no longer support Trump's presidential campaign, and some have called for his withdrawal from the ticket. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would no longer defend or support Trump's presidential campaign, and in a highly unusual move he freed down-ticket congressional members to use their own judgment, saying "you all need to do what's best for you and your district."

Recording

The video was recorded in September 2005 in the NBC Studios parking lot while Trump was preparing to appear in an episode of the series Access Hollywood. It features audio of Trump talking with Billy Bush, then co-anchor of Access Hollywood, on a bus embellished with the show's name. Trump and Bush were wearing microphones, which recorded their casual conversation. Trump was later described as "apparently aware at the time that he was being recorded by a TV program". In the section of the tape released, their conversation was mostly about women. According to an Access Hollywood spokesperson, there were seven other people on the bus: a camera crew of two, the bus driver, the show's producer, a production assistant, Trump's security guard, and Trump's public relations representative. Upon arriving at the lot, the camera crew was let off the bus so they could record Trump and Bush disembarking and meeting with soap opera star Arianne Zucker.

Publication

According to Access Hollywood, the discovery of the video was prompted by "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." An NBC source said that an Access Hollywood producer remembered the conversation on Monday, October 3, 2016, and located it in the show's archives. NBC discussed whether to release the tape, had lawyers review the legality of the publication, and had written a possible story but had not broadcast it as of Friday October 7. On Friday at around 11 a.m. David Fahrenthold, a reporter for the Post, obtained a copy of the tape from an unidentified source. Fahrenthold contacted NBC for comment, notified the Trump campaign that he had the video, obtained confirmation of its authenticity, and released a story and the tape itself by 4 p.m. NBC News released its own story shortly afterward. By the evening of October 7, the Post's story had become "the most concurrently viewed article in the history of The Post's website."

Contents

External videos
Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005, The Washington Post, 12:44, October 8, 2016

In the video, Trump tells Billy Bush about a failed attempt to seduce Nancy O'Dell:

I moved on her, and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, 'I'll show you where they have some nice furniture.' 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.

— Donald Trump

Later, referring to the woman they were waiting to meet (Arianne Zucker), Trump says:

I've got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. 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. You can do anything.

— Donald Trump

Reactions

Donald Trump and wife Melania

Trump's general election opponent Hillary Clinton was among the first political figures to respond to the tape, tweeting shortly after its release, "This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president." Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine said of the tape, "It makes me sick to my stomach [...] I'm sad to say that I'm not surprised." At the second presidential debate two days later, Clinton said of the tape, "With prior Republican nominees for president, I disagreed with them, politics, policies, principles, but I never questioned their fitness to serve. Donald Trump is different."

In light of the controversy, the media has noted that Trump had a history of criticizing women for their looks, among other remarks criticized as sexist. On October 8, CNN aired segments from multiple interviews Trump gave to The Howard Stern Show prior to his political career in which he made comments similar to those on the Access Hollywood tape. In one of the segments, Trump comments on his daughter Ivanka's body and does not object to Stern calling her "a piece of ass". On October 9, former staffers of Trump's reality show The Apprentice and journalist Geraldo Rivera indicated that they both individually have more damaging tapes of Trump, but did not indicate if they would be released to the public.

On Saturday Night Live Season 42 Episode 2, Alec Baldwin parodied the controversy as Donald Trump. Samantha Bee, the host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, reversed the gender roles in the video and issued an "apology" for the parodied video on Twitter. Singer-songwriter Carly Simon donated her 1972 song "You're So Vain" for use in an anti-Trump advertisement—the first time she has ever allowed its use for political purposes—and announced her opposition to Trump in response to the tape.

In response to having their product referenced by Trump on the tape, Tic Tac issued a statement on Twitter stating, "Tic Tac respects all women. We find the recent statements and behavior completely inappropriate and unacceptable."

Arianne Zucker, in response to her unwitting role in this incident, stated among other things that "How we treat one another, whether behind closed doors, locker rooms or face to face, should be done with kindness, dignity and respect."

Trump's wife Melania said, "The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know," but added that she hopes "people will accept his apology, as I have".

Billy Bush

Billy Bush has received a social media backlash and calls for his removal from The Today Show following the tape's release.

While the controversy has focused mainly on Trump, Bush also faced backlash as a result of the tape, mainly focusing on his saying Zucker "[Is] hot as shit!" and his goading her into hugging Trump after they get off the bus. Bush received online criticism and calls for his resignation from The Today Show, where he currently serves as an anchor. The Washington Post stated, "Bush's public image was damaged—perhaps beyond repair." There were so many negative comments on Bush's social media accounts following the tape's release that his Twitter account was taken down on the evening of October 7.

On the evening of October 7, Bush issued an apology, saying "Obviously I'm embarrassed and ashamed. It's no excuse, but this happened eleven years ago—I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."

The controversy has led to speculation that Bush's spot on Today could be in jeopardy, both because of the backlash against him on social media and the possibility that the tape's release could create a toxic work environment between Bush and the show's mostly female production staff. NBC executives confirmed on the evening of October 8 that Bush's job was safe and he would address the controversy on the October 10 episode of Today. Politico noted that the audience of Today is disproportionately female so that a significant ratings drop in the wake of the controversy could still lead to Bush's dismissal. On October 9, 2016, NBC reversed course and announced that Bush would be suspended from Today indefinitely pending further review.

Bush being a member of the Bush family was also noted in the wake of the controversy. The Economist noted, "Who would have thought that Mr Bush, a presenter of NBC's Today news show, could end up playing a more influential role in this election than his cousin Jeb, whom many Republicans once expected to win it?"

Republican party

The incident was condemned by numerous prominent Republicans. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever." The RNC suspended all support of Trump's campaign shortly afterwards. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, tweeted "Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America's face to the world." Ohio governor John Kasich, a former primary rival to Trump, called the remarks "indefensible;" former Florida governor Jeb Bush, also a former primary rival, called them "reprehensible."

Many members of the Republican Party rescinded their endorsements as a result of the release of the video, including Governors Bill Haslam and Robert J. Bentley; Representatives Bradley Byrne, Jason Chaffetz, and Joe Heck; and Senators Kelly Ayotte, Mike Crapo, and John McCain.

By October 8, several dozen Republicans had called for Trump to withdraw from the campaign and his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, take over the Republican ticket. Among those favoring a Pence takeover are former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Cory Gardner of Colorado, and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, and U.S. Representatives Jason Chaffetz of Utah, Bradley Byrne of Alabama, Rodney Davis of Illinois, and Ann Wagner of Missouri.

Pence released a statement on October 8 saying: "As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the eleven-year-old video released yesterday.... I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them." However, he said he still supported Trump since he "has expressed remorse and apologized to the American people."

Meanwhile, other Republicans expressed continued support for Donald Trump, including Ben Carson, evangelical leaders Tony Perkins and Ralph E. Reed Jr., and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

Trump insisted he would never drop out. As of October 8, depending upon the state:

• It was not possible to change the names on ballots at the late date for purely legal reasons
• Many general election ballots had already been printed, making changes to them a costly proposition
• In states with early voting, thousands of ballots have already been cast

For these reasons, calls for Trump to drop out of the presidential race have been largely regarded as symbolic. As a practical matter, Trump is locked in as the Republican nominee regardless of what happens between the outbreak of the scandal and election day.

Trump response

External videos
Donald Trump apologizes for sexist comments about groping women, Trump campaign video via PBS Newshour, 1:15, October 7, 2016

After the release of the Access Hollywood video, Trump's first public response came in the form of a written statement published on his campaign website:

This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.

Early on Saturday morning, October 8, Donald Trump issued a lengthier statement, released by video. In it, Trump said of the video's contents, "I said it, I was wrong, and I'm sorry." He went on to "pledge to be a better man" and ended the video with the allegation that former President Bill Clinton, husband of Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, had "abused women" and that Hillary Clinton had bullied her husband's victims. Trump's video ended with assurances that the Clinton allegations would be discussed in coming days. Trump's statement was criticized severely by the media and members of the public as an insincere attempt to divert attention away from Trump's comments and onto unsubstantiated accusations against his political opponents. Trump tweeted the next day: "Certainly has been an interesting 24 hours!"

As October 8 continued, a growing number of Republicans went beyond criticizing Trump's remarks or rescinding endorsements of him and began calling for Trump to drop out of the presidential race, ceding the Republican nomination to another person. On the afternoon of October 8, Trump responded with a tweet:

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! #MAGA

Effect on October 9 debate and aftermath

The release of the tape led to a renewed anticipation towards the October 9 debate between Trump and Clinton, as it would be the first time for each candidate to directly address the controversy. Less than two hours before the debate began, Trump held a surprise press conference in St. Louis with Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick, who have previously accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct, and Kathy Shelton, the victim of a rapist whom Hillary Clinton served as the appointed public defender of in the 1970s. Describing the conference as his "debate prep," Trump described the women as "courageous" and "victims of the Clintons" and each of the women repeated their grievances with Bill and Hillary Clinton. At the conference, Trump refused to answer journalists' questions about the Access Hollywood tape. Clinton's campaign dismissed the conference as "an act of desperation" and denounced Trump's "destructive race to the bottom." It was later revealed that Trump had arranged for the women to sit in his family box and that they were to walk into the audience at the same time as Bill Clinton and confront him on live TV, but debate officials intervened and prevented the planned stunt from happening. The Associated Press later reported that two of the women, Willey and Shelton, had previously been financially compensated by Trump ally Roger Stone during the campaign.

In the town-hall debate on October 9, co-moderator Anderson Cooper pressed Trump repeatedly about whether the conversation on the tape meant that Trump had committed sexual assault. Trump repeatedly said it "was locker room talk" and "I'm not proud of it," and said he wanted to move on to other things, but finally responded "I have not."

Numerous professional athletes and coaches rejected Trump's claim that what he said on the tape was "locker room talk," saying that such comments were not normal or acceptable. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said, "[If Trump's comments are locker room talk] that's a new locker room for me." Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted, "As an athlete, I've been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that's not locker room talk." Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley tweeted, "Just for reference. I work in a locker room (every day)... that is not locker room talk. Just so you know..." Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted, "What kind of fucked up locker rooms has Donald Trump been in..." NBA point guard Kendall Marshall tweeted, "PSA: sexual advances without consent is NOT locker room talk."

The backlash from the comments prompted an anti-Trump "'Pussy Grabs Back' on Election Day" hashtag and meme featuring a snarling cat image. The Guardian wrote that the image became a "rallying cry for female rage against Trump."

External links

• Transcript
• List of rescinded endorsements