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    Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 13 min


    Elected officials' positions on Donald Trump (2016)
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    Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape


    Last updated on October 27, 2016

    On October 7, 2016, The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump making comments about women. The comments were described as 'extremely lewd' in The Post's headline.[1] A day later, organizations such as Politico began describing the comments in terms of "sexual assault."[2] After the tape became public, several prominent Republicans denounced Trump's comments while others withdrew their endorsements of him or called on him to step down as the GOP nominee.

    This page tracked nationally prominent Republicans who, after the time of the tape's release, called for Trump to step down as the party's nominee or said they would not vote for him. The table below shows the total number of Republicans who called on Trump to drop out or said they would not vote for him. It also breaks them down into members of the House, senators, and governors. Note: the total at the top includes non-elected officials and former lawmakers.

    Seven Republicans—Deb Fischer, Scott Garrett, Bradley Byrne, Jason Chaffetz, Mike Crapo, Chris Stewart, and John Thune—who called for Trump to step down or said they would not vote for him later reversed their stances and voiced support for Trump or said they intended to vote for him.

    For more information on different state laws for replacing a nominee, please see: State laws and party rules on replacing a presidential nominee

    Trump should drop out or be replaced[edit]

    Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia)[edit]

    Rep. Mike Coffman (Colorado)[edit]

    • "For the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump should step aside. His defeat at this point seems almost certain. And four years of Hillary Clinton is not what is best for this country. Mr. Trump should put the country first and do the right thing."[3]

    Rep. Barbara Comstock (Virginia)[edit]

    Gov. Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota)[edit]

    Rep. Rodney Davis (Illinois)[edit]

    • "The abhorrent comments made by Donald Trump are inexcusable and go directly against what I've been doing in Washington to combat assaults on college campuses. Because of this, I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee. With the terrible options America has right now, I cannot cast my vote for any of the candidates, so I hope Donald Trump withdraws from the race so the American people can elect Mike Pence as our next president."[4]

    Rep. Charlie Dent (Pennsylvania)[edit]

    • Said that RNC chair Reince Priebus should remove Trump from the ticket and "if he can't, then he should step down."[5]

    Former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina[edit]

    Sen. Jeff Flake (Arizona)[edit]

    Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (Nebraska)[edit]

    Sen. Cory Gardner (Colorado)[edit]

    Rep. Kay Granger (Texas)[edit]

    • “We have heard rumors about the insensitive and vulgar things Mr. Trump says about women. But watching that video is disgusting. Mr. Trump should remove himself from consideration as Commander in Chief."[6]

    Gov. Bill Haslam (Tenneessee)[edit]

    • "It is time for the good of the nation and the Republican Party for Donald Trump to step aside and let Gov. Mike Pence assume the role as the party’s nominee. If he does not step aside, I will write in a Republican for the office of President."[7]

    Rep. Joe Heck (Nevada)[edit]

    Radio host Hugh Hewitt[edit]

    Former Gov. Jon Huntsman (Utah)[edit]

    • "In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom — at such a critical moment for our nation — and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket."[8]

    Rep. Will Hurd (Texas)[edit]

    Rep. John Katko (New York)[edit]

    • "I think Trump should think seriously about [dropping out]. In my mind, he should. His comments cannot be justified and crosses every line you can imagine. ... I am certainly not going to vote for him. ... I've talked repeatedly with my family and people I consider close to me. We are all roundly disgusted. We just all came to the same conclusion that he does not deserve support. You just can't explain this away. What he was talking about is tantamount to sexual assault."[9]

    Sen. Mark Kirk (Illinois)[edit]

    Sen. Mike Lee (Utah)[edit]

    Rep. Mia Love (Utah)[edit]

    • "For the good of the party, and the country, he should step aside."[10]

    Former Gov. George Pataki (New York)[edit]

    Rep. Martha Roby (Alabama)[edit]

    Sen. Ben Sasse (Nebraska)[edit]

    Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska)[edit]

    CEO of The Family Leader Bob Vander Plaats (Iowa)[edit]

    Rep. Fred Upton (Michigan)[edit]

    Rep. Ann Wagner (Missouri)[edit]

    • "I have committed my short time in Congress to fighting for the most vulnerable in our society. As a strong and vocal advocate for victims of sex trafficking and assault, I must be true to those survivors and myself and condemn the predatory and reprehensible comments of Donald Trump. I withdraw my endorsement and call for Governor Pence to take the lead so we can defeat Hillary Clinton."[4]

    Will not vote for Trump[edit]

    Sen. Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire)[edit]

    Gov. Robert Bentley (Alabama)[edit]

    Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington)[edit]

    • "For months I’ve left the door open for Donald Trump to earn my vote. That door has now slammed shut."[11]

    Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)[edit]

    Gov. Gary Herbert (Utah)[edit]

    Gov. John Kasich (Ohio)[edit]

    Rep. Steve Knight (California)[edit]

    • "While I’ve never before endorsed a Presidential candidate, I’ve felt compelled to strongly condemn many of Mr. Trump’s previous outrageous remarks. And after serious consideration, I have decided that I cannot support either candidate for President."[12]

    Rep. Frank LoBiondo (New Jersey)[edit]

    • "I have repeatedly and strongly spoken out against Mr. Trump when he degrades and insults women, minority groups and Gold Star military families. I will not vote for a candidate who boasts of sexual assault. It is my conclusion that Mr. Trump is unfit to be President."[13]

    Gov. Susana Martinez (New Mexico)[edit]

    Sen. John McCain (Arizona)[edit]

    • "I have wanted to support the candidate our party nominated. He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set. I thought I owed his supporters that deference," McCain said. "But Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Cindy, with her strong background in human rights and respect for women, fully agrees with me in this."[14]

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)[edit]

    Rep. Erik Paulsen (Minnesota)[edit]

    • "For months I have said Donald Trump has not earned my vote. The disgusting statements revealed last night make it clear he cannot. I will not be voting for him."[15]

    Rep. Tom Rooney (Florida)[edit]

    • "My greatest responsibility in life is to try and be a good husband and father. If I support him for President, I will be telling my boys that I think it’s okay to treat women like objects — and I’ll have failed as a dad. Therefore, I can no longer support Donald Trump for President and will not be voting for him or Hillary Clinton."[16]

    Gov. Brian Sandoval (Nevada)[edit]

    Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (California)[edit]

    Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)[edit]

    • "As I said yesterday, Donald Trump's comments were offensive and wrong. I had hoped to support the candidate my party nominated in the primary process. I thought it was appropriate to respect the millions of voters across the country who chose Donald Trump as the Republican Party nominee. While I continue to respect those who still support Donald Trump, I can no longer support him. I continue to believe our country cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency. I will be voting for Mike Pence for President."[17]

    See also[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ The Washington Post, "Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005," October 8, 2016
    2. ↑ Politico, "RNC halts Victory project work for Trump," October 8, 2016
    3. ↑ CBS Denver, "Coffman: ‘Trump Should Step Aside,'" October 7, 2016
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 St. Louis Dispatch, "Reps. Ann Wagner, Rodney Davis withdraw support, urge Trump to pull out of race," October 8, 2016
    5. ↑ The Hill, "Pennsylvania lawmaker says Priebus should step down if Trump not removed," October 8, 2016
    6. ↑ Where Texas Republicans Stand on Donald Trump," October 9, 2016
    7. ↑ WBIR, "Bill Haslam: Donald Trump needs to step aside for Mike Pence,'" October 9, 2016
    8. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Gov. Herbert and Rep. Chaffetz pull Trump endorsements, Huntsman says Trump should drop out after explicit video leaks," October 10, 2016
    9. ↑ Syracuse, "Rep. John Katko: Donald Trump should drop out of presidential race," October 8, 2016
    10. ↑ Newser.com, "The Latest: Pence won't "condone" or "defend" Trump remarks," October 7, 2016
    11. ↑ KUTV, "Herrera Beutler rejects Trump for president; will write in Ryan," October 8, 2016
    12. ↑ The Signal, "Congressman Steve Knight releases statement on Saturday saying he ‘cannot support’ Donald Trump," October 8, 2016
    13. ↑ LoBiondo for Congress, "LoBiondo Statement on 2016 Presidential Election," October 8, 2016
    14. ↑ Politico, "McCain rescinds Trump support," October 8, 2016
    15. ↑ KARE, "Ex-Gov. Pawlenty calls Trump 'unhinged,' drops support," October 8, 2016
    16. ↑ PalmBeachPost, "Rep. Tom Rooney, early voice for GOP unity behind Donald Trump, withdraws support," October 8, 2016
    17. ↑ RobPortman.com, "Portman Statement on Presidential Race," accessed October 12, 2016
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