The Clinton campaign released an ad Monday challenging the sincerity of Donald Trump’s apology this weekend during the second presidential debate for lewd comments he made in 2005.
“When confronted with his offensive comments about women that were recently brought to light, Trump repeatedly said this was ‘locker room talk,'” the Democratic nominee’s campaign said in a statement. “If Donald Trump believes this is locker room talk, how can we believe he is sorry?”
The GOP nominee said Sunday evening that his comments in 2005, which were apparently recorded without his knowledge, were just “locker room talk,” and he apologized for what he said.
“[T]his was locker room talk. I’m not proud of it. I apologize to my family. I apologize to the American people. Certainly I’m not proud of it. But this is locker room talk,” Trump said.
The Washington Post published a report last week revealing Trump once bragged about leveraging his celebrity status in return for sexual favors from women, some of them married.
“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,” Trump bragged in 2005 to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush. “And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything.”
“Grab them by the pussy,” Trump said. “You can do anything.”
The Clinton campaign has responded to the GOP nominee’s weekend apology by highlighting Trump’s use of the term “locker room talk.” By downplaying what he said in 2005, Trump’s apology reveals he’s not really sorry, they argue.
Clinton herself said Sunday evening during the presidential debate, which was held at Washington University in St. Louis, that the 2005 audio reveals Trump’s true nature.
Clinton the video represents “exactly who he is,” she said. “We have seen him insult women.”
“We have seen him embarrass women,” Clinton said. “This is who Donald Trump is.”
