Trump’s Not-So-Sorry Apology After Grossly Sexist Video Goes Viral

Donald Trump barely apologises for the leaked video in which speaks about sexually assaulting women.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (Photo: Reuters)

Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s 2005 conversation with a man named Billy Bush of Access Hollywood is every woman’s worst nightmare. The audio of the conversation was caught on tape and accessed by Washington Post.

“Grab ‘em by the pussy” says Trump as he speaks about a married woman he wanted to make a move on. The conversation that starts with, “You know and I moved on her actually. You know she was down on Palm Beach,” soon becomes graphic and the lewd Donald appears.

Trump was cornered by the Republicans to issue an apology and make amends, reports The Guardian.

Trump’s barely-apologetic apology on Twitter for his statements ends with him daring Hillary Clinton, asking her to watch out for the second Presidential debate to be held on Monday.

The 2005 video was shot just before Trump appeared on Days of Our Lives show, while the two discussed a woman they were about to meet on the show.

As soon as they get down form the ‘Access Hollywood’ bus they are travelling on, they advance towards an actress named Arianne Zucker who greets them. Bush asks her to hug Trump and as they walk towards the stage, he asks her to choose between the two of them.

Maybe the creepiest part, though, is Trump’s and Bush’s behaviour when they get off the bus. Having discussed Trump’s seduction strategy, they make unsettling appeals to the actress, Arianne Zucker, to touch them. 

Jack Holmes of <i>Esquire&nbsp;</i>Magazine

Trump’s pursuit of women and blatant judgement is, however, not new to most, going by his comment, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful – I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

This isn’t necessarily new territory for Trump. An affair broke up his first marriage. In appearances on ‘The Howard Stern Show’, he frequently rated women based on their looks and desirability.

Libby Nelson on <i>Vox</i>

Amid the frenzy caused by the audio recording, the matter of sexual assault against women has come to the forefront. The media coverage of the issue is about Trump’s language and not about his open endorsement of sexual assault.

In just a few hours, the story has spread like wildfire. But here’s the important thing that every outlet should be clear about when they report on it: This is not a story about lewd comments. Rather, this is a story about the Republican nominee for president talking, without compunction, about how he supports sexually assaulting women. Every headline must make this clear.

David Cohen on&nbsp;<i>Rolling Stone</i>

Barely a month before the big election where Trump will go neck-to-neck with Hillary Clinton, the audio is bound to damage the Republican campaign. Virtually predicting the effect, TIME reported:

“Akin-esque,” was how two veteran Republican operatives independently described Trump’s comments to TIME, referencing Todd Akin, the 2012 GOP Senate candidate whose use of the phrase “legitimate rape” sparked a nationwide backlash against Republicans and doomed their hopes of winning the Senate majority that year.

Zeke Miller for<i>TIME</i>

Trump issued an apology for the statements made in the audio. However, the incident has caused political catastrophe for the campaign workers.

People in contact with Mr Trump’s inner circle described the campaign as being in a state of paralysis as top aides held a conference call lasting over an hour to discuss their options. Several Republicans outside the campaign said they had been unable to reach Mr Trump’s team.

Alexander Burns, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martinoct for&nbsp;<i>The New York Times</i>