UPDATE: Several hours after releasing his video statement via Twitter, Trump cryptically tweeted: “Certainly has been an interesting 24 hours!”
ORIGINAL STORY: Donald Trump said in a video statement he shared via Twitter on Friday, October 7, that the lewd comments he makes about women in newly surfaced footage from 2005 are not representative of who he is as a a person.
“I’ve never said that I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not,” the 70-year-old Republican presidential candidate says as he appears to read off a teleprompter and addresses the camera. “I’ve said and done things that 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,” he continues. “I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.”
In recent weeks, Trump has come under fire for his numerous derogatory statements about women in the past, including his most recent Twitter attack on former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, whom he once called “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping.”
Here is my statement. pic.twitter.com/WAZiGoQqMQ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2016
The real estate billionaire went one step further and vowed to the American people that he will work to become a “better” person, calling the focus on his crude comments a “distraction.”
“I have gotten to know the great people of our country, and I have been humbled by the faith they placed in me,” Trump says. “I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never ever let you down. Let’s be honest. We’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we’re facing today.”
Trump then turned his attention to Bill and Hillary Clinton: “I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary Clinton attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims.”
As previously reported, Trump and Access Hollywood host Billy Bush were caught saying vulgar things about women while aboard a bus back in 2005 in footage obtained and published by The Washington Post.
Among the topics that were discussed: How Trump “moved on [Nancy O’Dell] like a b—h,” how the presidential candidate had a tendency to “just start kissing” beautiful women, and how, “when you’re a star,” it was fine to “grab [women] by the p—y.”
Celebrities like Cher, Chelsea Handler, Debra Messing, Patton Oswald and more have come forward to denounce the candidate’s words.
“Jee-zus. I knew Trump was a sexist creep, but I didn’t know he was also a mediocre one,” Oswald tweeted. “Is he D+ at EVERYTHING he attempts? Yuck.”
Earlier in the evening, Trump released a brief statement addressing the headline-making video.
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago,” he said in the statement. “Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.”
