Early Saturday morning, Donald Trump finally issued a video response to the just-released 2005 video of him making inappropriate comments about women. The comments had been wildly criticized from almost all corners and, in the hours leading up to Trump's apology video, he was losing support from prominent Republicans. Three members of Congress—Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Mike Coffman of Colorado, and Jason Chaffetz of Utah—all either pulled their endorsements or called for Trump to step out of the race. Senator Mike Lee, also of Utah, joined the call as well.
Rob Engstrom, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, agreed.
Top Republican fundraisers were also extremely concerned:
In light of the slipping support and calls for him to leave the Presidential race, Trump released a video apologizing for his comments. "I've done and said things I regret, and the words released today on this more than decade-old video are one of them," he said. NBC News noted that this marked "the first time this campaign Trump has apologized or expressed regret for a specific statement or action."
But after apologizing, Trump said that the furor around his comments were only "a distraction from the important issues we're facing today." He ended by discussing one of his recent favorite topics, Bill Clinton's sex life.
"Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims," Trump said, before pledging to "discuss this more in the coming days."
Many people who watched the speech, including GOP strategist Mike Murphy, noticed that Trump seemed stiff and uncomfortable.
Some media observers suspected that the short statement would be unlikely to stem the flood of politicians abandoning the GOP nominee.
"I never said I'm a perfect person, nor pretended to someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me, knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.
You can see Trump's full statement above or read it below:
