Donald Trump as leader of the free world? We don’t think so. We never did.

We had planned to endorse his opponent, Hillary Clinton, for president next week. But the leak of the despicable video in which he bragged about trying to have sex with a married woman — soon after his marriage to his third wife Melania — has prompted us to speed up our timetable. We strongly endorse Clinton, who despite her flaws — grossly exaggerated by the Republicans and the far-right spin apparatus — is a superior candidate. We will elaborate on our support for her later in the week.

Trump is a disgrace to the nation. He should abandon the race now — for the good of the nation and the good of the Republican Party. If he refuses, as he has so far insisted he will do, every Republican leader and every Republican candidate on the ballot next month should condemn him and publicly urge him to terminate his campaign.

Over the course of the primary and Republican campaign, it became increasingly clear that Trump was totally unfit for the presidency. He has none of the qualities needed to lead what remains the greatest nation on earth — despite his claims to the contrary. He is arrogant, bigoted, impulsive and crude. He doesn’t read, he doesn’t study up on policy, he is reckless with his words and loose with what he passes off as facts.

The video of Trump talking about women should be an automatic disqualifier — one of many of his shoot-from-the-hip remarks that would have ended the campaigns of any other presidential candidate, past or present. He has gotten a pass for far too long.

It’s nothing short of a disgrace that the Republican Party leadership, and many of the Republican candidates who will share the ballot with him, have refused to disassociate themselves from him. With the release of the video, a few have stepped forward. But most have not, including his enabler-in-chief, Gov. Chris Christie, who so far has refused comment about the video.

Trump’s appeal is difficult for us to understand. How can anyone want him to represent our nation, here and abroad? He and his supporters say he will be a welcome agent of change. It’s not the kind of change this badly divided nation needs. Positive change has been blocked at every turn by right-wing Republicans in Congress. Remember Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s agenda? “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Barack Obama to be a one-term president.” McConnell and fellow Republicans did their best. It wasn’t enough to keep Obama from winning a second term, but they succeeded in blocking virtually every initiative of his and creating four more years of deadlock in a highly toxic atmosphere.

Trump supporters with concerns about his ability to handle all the responsibilities of the presidency argue that he will surround himself with seasoned political veterans. Who? Surrogates like Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and Roger Ailes? We don’t want any of them pulling the strings.

Trump insists there is “zero chance” he will abandon his campaign. He tweeted, “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!”

Republicans must not let America down. They must do everything they can to convince him to drop out of the race. If Trump sticks it out to the bitter end, it is essential for the future of the party that fellow Republicans let Americans know that this is not the kind of man it wants representing their party or their nation.