This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Donald Trump’s taped remarks about groping women and using his fame for sex are reflective of “a pattern of sexual assault”, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, said Sunday.

Jill Harth speaks out about alleged groping by Donald Trump Read more

“It’s not just words,” Kaine said in an interview with CNN, adding that Trump must explain to American voters in Sunday night’s presidential debate “why he thought that was acceptable behavior”.

A number of women, including Jill Harth, who spoke to the Guardian in July, have alleged that Trump groped them or behaved in an inappropriate manner.

The Trump campaign has attempted to present the taped remarks as merely an unfortunate choices of words.

“That’s what he’s talking about,” top Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week. “Now whether it happened or not, I don’t know. I do know there’s a tendency on the part of some men at different times to exaggerate things like this.”



The former New York mayor conceded: “I’m not in any way trying to excuse it or condone it. There is no excuse or answer for it other than, ‘I’m very sorry and I wish I hadn’t done it and I’m not like that any more.’”



So many self-righteous hypocrites. Watch their poll numbers – and elections – go down! Donald Trump, on his Republican critics

Whether Trump will be capable of showing genuine contrition when he faces Hillary Clinton on the debate stage at Washington University in St Louis on Sunday night remains in doubt. On Sunday morning he used Twitter to thank his supporters in the face of the scandal and take a shot at leaders of his own party.



“Tremendous support (except for some Republican ‘leadership’),” he said. “Thank you.”

A growing chorus of Republicans have called on Trump to step aside in light of the tape, which was published on Friday by the Washington Post. By Sunday morning, 16 senators, including the 2008 presidential nominee, John McCain, had withdrawn their endorsements of the current nominee.

Many argued in favor of letting Trump’s running mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence, fight the remainder of the election campaign against Clinton, even though such a scenario remains highly unlikely under Republican party regulations.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Republican in the upper chamber, is the most senior GOP politician so far to have rescinded his support. By Sunday morning, the House speaker, Paul Ryan, and Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, had not done so.

On Sunday morning, Trump also tweeted: “So many self-righteous hypocrites. Watch their poll numbers – and elections – go down!”

After the release of the remarks, which were taped by a live microphone during an appearance on Access Hollywood in 2005, Trump said in a video statement: “I’ve said some foolish things but there is a big difference between the words and actions of other people.”



In an indication of possible tactics at the debate on Sunday night, he then sought to focus his attack on the sexual liaisons of former president Bill Clinton.

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted a link to a Breitbart News interview with Juanita Broaddrick, who has accused Bill Clinton of rape. Giuliani pursued the same line of attack, saying Trump would seek in the debate to cast Hillary Clinton “as the attacker” of women when she claims to be their champion, regarding her alleged treatment of those who claimed to have had sexual liaisons with her husband.

John McCain withdraws support for Donald Trump over groping tape Read more

Kaine told CNN he did not know how Clinton would approach the Trump remarks during the debate, but said: “I imagine some undecided voters in the audience will have questions.”

“The tape raises an awful lot of questions … a pattern of assaultive behavior, not just words,” he said.

The debate in St Louis will be in a “town hall” format, with audience members asking some questions in a less confrontational format than the traditional moderated head-to-head.

Trump spent Saturday at Trump Tower in New York City, with close advisers. Giuliani, who was present for the meetings, appeared on Sunday morning talkshows to speak on the candidate’s behalf, after Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie canceled scheduled appearances.



Giuliani told CNN Trump’s remarks about groping were “horrible” and not what you’d want to hear from anyone, “let alone a presidential candidate”. He then sought to pivot toward Clinton and questions surrounding her charitable foundation and time as secretary of state.

Asked if he thought Trump’s apology on Friday night was sincere, and whether Trump should have used the video statement to also attack the Clintons, Giuliani said: “It was an apology; he definitely apologized. I know from talking [to him] he genuinely feels very sorry. It’s not the view he holds today.”

“Let he who has not sinned throw the first stone,” he added. “The fact is that men at times talk like that, not all men, but some do.”

Giuliani then reaffirmed that Trump had no intention to step down from the campaign.



“He is aware of the fact that a number of Republicans pulled their support, but he is not going to drop out,” he said. “He is going to apologize for what he did. When someone asks for forgiveness, [the American people] usually give it”.