Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s step back from Donald Trump follows her distancing herself from the GOP nominee earlier this week. | Getty Ayotte calls lewd Trump comments 'totally inappropriate and offensive'

Donald Trump’s newly exposed comments about women are “totally inappropriate and offensive,” New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte said Friday.

In a 2005 video highlighting a private conversation between Trump and Billy Bush of “Access Hollywood” published Friday by The Washington Post, Trump makes a series of demeaning and sexually aggressive comments about women, even boasting about grabbing “them by the pu--y“ because stars can “do anything.”


Ayotte’s latest step back from Trump follows her distancing herself from the GOP nominee earlier this week after saying during a debate on Monday that Trump is a role model and that she would “absolutely” tell children to be like him.

She walked back that comment with a statement, saying she “misspoke.” “While I would hope all of our children would aspire to be president, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example, and I wouldn't hold up either of them as role models for my kids,” she said.

Ayotte, who faces a tough reelection bid against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, has previously acknowledged that she plans to vote for the nominee but hasn’t endorsed him.

Hassan's press secretary, Meira Bernstein, responded to Ayotte's comments Friday by criticizing the senator for not immediately disavowing Trump's campaign.

“Merely calling Trump's comments 'inappropriate' while continuing to support him to lead the free world is pathetic and wrong," Bernstein said in a statement.

