NYC Protesters Call On GOP Party Leaders To 'Un-Endorse Donald Trump'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Protesters gathered in front of Trump Tower on Wednesday morning, condemning lewd comments Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made against women in a video that surfaced last week.
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Protesters stood outside the Midtown location holding signs denouncing the GOP party and urging political leaders and the public to stand in solidarity against the candidate, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"For the sake of our lives, for the sake of all women, for the sake of our country, we're here today to tell the Republican Party leadership to un-endorse Donald Trump," one protester said.
"We can't have someone in the White House who wants to build a wall and have religious tests," one protester said. "I mean, what is this? Where are we going back to?"
1010 WINS has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The video involving Trump, obtained by The Washington Post, showed him talking with Billy Bush, then of "Access Hollywood," on a bus. The bus was rolling into a studio lot, where Trump was set to film cameos on the set of the "Days of Our Lives" soap opera program, CBS News reported.
The two were caught on a hot microphone discussing in lewd terms how Trump had attempted to "move on" an actress, who later made an appearance in the video.
Since the video's release, 40 Republican senators and congressmen have revoked their support for Trump and nearly 30 have called on him to quit the race.
Trump's vice presidential nominee, Mike Pence, released a statement about the scandal, reading, "as a husband and a father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released yesterday. I do not condone his remarks and I cannot defend them. I am grateful that he has expressed remorse and apologized to the American people."
"We pray for his family and look forward to the opportunity he has to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night," he continued.
Sen. John McCain, R-A.Z., formally withdrew his support from Trump, releasing a statement, which read in part, "there are no excuses for Donald Trump's offensive and demeaning comments in the just released video; no woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences."
Democratic candidates weighed in on the issue too.
Hillary Clinton's campaign tweeted about the remarks, saying Trump could not be allowed to become president.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine tweeted that the remarks made him "sick to his stomach."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., commented, saying, "that belief that you could do anything you want, you're important, you're famous, you can hit on women — we just cannot elect a president of the United States who has that attitude."
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also weighed in, saying in a statement, "In public, Donald Trump's a racist, misogynist and xenophobe. Now we know that in private he brags about sexually assaulting women. He has proven himself a danger to our country and a stain on our democratic process. We must never forget the hate and misogyny he's brought us – nor those who have refused to condemn it."
Trump also released an apology on his Facebook page before the second presidential debate.
"I've never said I'm a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a 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," Trump said in the video statement.
Despite backlash from party leaders, Trump said that he will not leave the presidential race.
He told the Wall Street Journal there was "zero chance I'll quit," in an interview following the scandal.
Now, the Republican presidential candidate is vowing to win the election his own way, as party leaders step back from him.
He declared on Fox News on Tuesday night that he's "just tired of non-support'' from Republican leaders and he ``wouldn't want to be in a foxhole with a lot of these people.''
Trump will be campaigning in Florida on Wednesday. Clinton will challenge Republicans over their support for Donald Trump during campaign events in Colorado and Nevada.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
