Only On 2: 'It's Not About Me,' Actress Says Regarding Trump Remarks About Her
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — Actress Arianne Zucker, outside her home Friday, declined to comment on Donald Trump's taped remarks about her other than to tell CBS's Tom Wait that "it's not about me."
Trump issued a rare apology after a video showed him making lewd, sexually charged comments about Zucker and TV host Nancy O'Dell in 2005. He called it "locker room banter." O'Dell has not spoken out on the comments.
The Republican nominee said that "I apologize if anyone was offended." He issued the statement after The Washington Post revealed the video of Trump caught on a hot mic while talking with Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood."
Trump is heard saying he "did try and f--- her," referring to an unknown woman. He also used graphic terms to describe the woman's body and said he frequently tried to kiss beautiful women.
He boasted that "when you're a star they let you do it."
He said: "You can do anything."
Trump's campaign released a statement Friday afternoon which read: "This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended."
In response to the video, Hillary Clinton posted the following tweet: "This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president."
This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president. https://t.co/RwhW7yeFI2
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 7, 2016
Clinton has said that Trump has shown a lack of respect for women, noting during the first presidential debate that he insulted a former Miss Universe. She has said it's a reason why he's unfit to be president.
A one-sentence response from the head of Trump's Republican Party was devastating.
"No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever," said Reince Priebus, who had stood by Trump through his past provocative comments.
Other Republicans, painfully aware of the possible impact on their own political fates, were quick to chime in. New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is locked in a close race, called the comments "totally inappropriate and offensive."
Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was "beside himself" and his wife was furious, according to a person familiar with their thinking. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to share the private discussion.
In public, Pence ignored questions shouted by reporters in Rossford, Ohio, where he was campaigning with his daughter.
Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America's face to the world.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 8, 2016
As the grandfather of two precious girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump's reprehensible comments degrading women.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 7, 2016
"Access Hollywood" said an Associated Press story about Trump's lewd behind-the-scenes comments as star of "The Apprentice" led it to dig through its archives and turn up the previously un-aired footage from 2005. It was recorded during a bus ride while Trump was on his way to tape an episode of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives," which starred Zucker.
But Clinton had her own problems with revelations.
The WikiLeaks organization posted what it said were thousands of emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, including some with excerpts from speeches she gave to Wall Street executives and others — speeches she has declined to release despite demands from Trump.
The excerpts include Clinton seeming to put herself in the free-trade camp, a position she has retreated from. In a talk to a Brazilian bank in 2013, she said her dream was "a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders."
Trump strongly opposes current U.S. trade deals and insists Clinton is too cozy with Wall Street to reform it.
Friday's revelations came two days before Trump and Clinton are to meet in Sunday's second presidential debate, with the Republican urgently in need of a strong performance. After his uneven showing in the first contest, public opinion polls have showed Clinton pulling ahead in nearly all battleground states, some of which are already in the midst of early voting.
House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is "sickened" by Donald Trump's crude comments about women, revealed in an audio from 2005, and is calling on the Republican presidential nominee to show greater respect for women.
In a statement late Friday, Ryan says Trump will no longer be attending an annual fall festival in Wisconsin. The all-GOP event in Ryan's home state had been planned with Trump, Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and Priebus.
Ryan, who has had a rocky relationship with Trump, says women are to be championed and revered. He adds that he hopes Trump will treat the fallout with the seriousness it deserves.
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