Donald Trump boasted in 2005 about being able to "grab" women "by the p---y" because "when you're a star they let you do it," in a shocking audio and video recording that emerged Friday.
The recording, which was picked up by a hot mic and published by The Washington Post on Friday, happened while Trump was talking with Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood." The two were aboard a bus and were arriving on the set of "Days of Our Lives" to tape a segment for Trump's upcoming cameo on the soap opera.
The video of the incident includes Trump saying a litany of crude remarks.
In a Friday statement from Trump, which came almost immediately after the story was published, Trump called his commentary "locker room banter."
"This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago," Trump said. "Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended."
In an extraordinary rebuke of the party's presidential nominee, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus said in a statement: "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever."
The tape began with Trump discussing a failed attempt to seduce a woman. That woman's name was not mentioned in the tape.
"I moved on her and I failed," he said. "I'll admit it."
According to The Post, the tape was recorded several months after he married his third wife, Melania.
"I did try and f--- her," Trump later said. "She was married. ... And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, 'I'll show you where they have some nice furniture.'"
"I moved on her like a b----, but I couldn’t get there," he continued. "And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony t--- and everything. She's totally changed her look."
At that point, Trump and Bush noticed an actress, Arianne Zucker, who was waiting to take them onto the set.
"I've gotta use some tic tacs, just in case I start kissing her," Trump said. "You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait."
"And when you're a star they let you do it," Trump continued. "You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p---y. You can do anything."
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign called the tape "horrific."
"This is horrific," the campaign tweeted from her account. "We cannot allow this man to become president."
The release of the audio comes two days before Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are scheduled to meet for the second of three debates. Clinton during the first debate brought up Trump's history of crude comments about women. Earlier this week, Trump suggested many of those past comments were made "for the purpose of entertainment."
