Trump's Crisis Raises Scary Alternative: 'Pence for President'

Some Republicans are calling for Donald Trump to step aside and let Mike Pence take over.

Some Republicans reacted on Friday to the latest Donald Trump scandal by calling for the candidate to step aside — a change that could put one of the most anti-LGBT political leaders, Mike Pence, at the top of the ticket.

"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," said former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, a former Republican candidate for president, in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune.

Then there was Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado, who released a statement saying that “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.”

The Wall Street Journal had already called on Trump in August to “behave like someone who wants to be president — or turn the nomination over to Mike Pence.” The country would be in unprecedented territory if Trump steps aside this late in the campaign, and nothing guarantees Pence would become the replacement. Still, it’s possible the “Pence for President” crowd could grow if the party isn't satisfied by Trump's handling of this latest scandal in which he was caught on camera in 2005 bragging about sexually harassing women.

The Indiana governor is among the most well known of homophobic figures to LGBT Americans. He has a long track record as a former congressman, but he sparked national headlines after signing into law a "license to discriminate" bill last year that critics said would let businesses turn away LGBT customers by citing their religious beliefs. The law sparked such outrage that lawmakers passed a "fix" to guarantee it couldn't be used against LGBT people.

Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, which the Human Rights Campaign endorsed in his reelection bid, called for Trump to step down.

.@realDonaldTrump should drop out. @GOP should engage rules for emergency replacement. — Mark Kirk (@SenatorKirk) October 8, 2016

The former Republican governor of New York, Trump’s home state, and a former presidential candidate for his party, George Pataki, also called on Trump to step down.

I'm horrified by #TrumpTape news. @realDonaldTrump campaign is a poisonous mix of bigotry & ignorance. Enough! He needs to step down. — George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) October 8, 2016

Trump is in damage control mode. He released a video apology late Friday, saying “I’ve never said I’m a perfect person.” He added, “Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize. I’ve traveled the country talking about change for America, but my travels have also changed me.”

Then Trump, showing no signs of stepping aside, teased the upcoming debate on Sunday by threatening to attack Hillary Clinton over her husband's history of infidelity.

“I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people,” he said. “Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.”

The debate on Sunday will be held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri at 9 p.m. ET. It’s a town hall meeting format moderated in part by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, the first out LGBT person to ever moderate a debate.

UPDATE: Donald Trump has commented directly on whether he plans to stay in the race — in all caps.