NEW YORK — Donald Trump will not attend a Republican Party event in Elkhorn on Saturday, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced late Friday after a tape surfaced earlier that day in which the GOP presidential nominee could be heard using lewd and sexually charged comments about women as he waited to make a cameo appearance on a soap opera in 2005.
“I am sickened by what I heard today,” Ryan said in a statement. “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. 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. In the meantime, he is no longer attending tomorrow’s event in Wisconsin.”
Even before Ryan’s statement, Trump issued a rare apology Friday, “if anyone was offended.”
The remarks drew rebukes from Democrats and Republicans alike, including the chairman of the Republican National Committee and Kenosha native Reince Priebus, with whom Trump had been scheduled to appear at a GOP event in Elkhorn on Saturday along with Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
“No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” Priebus said of the comments in which Trump bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women who were not his wife on audio and video recordings obtained by The Washington Post and NBC News.
The celebrity businessman boasted “when you’re a star, they let you do it,” in a conversation with Billy Bush, then a host of the television show “Access Hollywood.”
The remarks were captured by a live microphone that Trump did not appear to know was recording their conversation.
“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,” Trump said in a statement released by his campaign Friday.
The comments came to light two days before the Republican nominee meets Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for their second presidential debate, and as he confronts a series of stories about his past comments about women and tries to move beyond remarks shaming a former Miss Universe for gaining weight.
The First District Republican Party of Wisconsin Fall Fest on Saturday was to include Trump’s first joint campaign appearance with Ryan.
Aides to Walker and Johnson didn’t respond Friday to questions about their plans for the Saturday event.
Former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow, part of a coalition of Wisconsin women supporting the GOP nominee, defended Trump, noting the comments were made 11 years ago before he was running for president and were recorded without his knowledge. However, she said she raised her own sons not to use that kind of language.
“I’m more interested in keeping our country safe and bringing back jobs,” Farrow said. “On those two points I think he stands head and shoulders above Hillary Clinton.”
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, a Trump opponent, responded online tweeting: “Inexcusable. Disgusting. Women deserve better. We all do.”
Failed to seduce woman
The 2005 remarks were recorded months after the reality TV star married his third wife, Melania. He is heard bemoaning that he tried and failed to seduce an unidentified woman, saying, “I moved on her and I failed, I’ll admit.”
“I did try and f—- her. She was married,” Trump said. “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.’”
Trump said he “moved on her like bitch” and then made a crass remark about the woman’s breast implants. Then, after seeing the actress Arianne Zucker on the set of the soap opera on which he was to appear, he said he needed some breath mints “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,” Trump said. “And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything.”
He added: “Grab them by the p——. You can do anything.”
