Former Today show co-anchor Meredith Vieira gave her two cents about Donald Trump and Billy Bush’s 2005 sexist tape during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday, October 13.
“I’m sorry to say that it wasn’t surprising to me — and I know that sounds awful — but we’ve seen a consistent pattern with Donald Trump, consistent with that attitude toward so many kinds of people,” Vieira, 62, told host Andy Cohen. “It started the day he announced, he called Mexicans rapists, so I should be shocked and it is shocking, but I wasn’t surprised.”
She added: “To paraphrase a columnist who talked about him and this piggish behavior, ‘That’s an insult to pigs because pigs are awesome.'”
Last Friday, The Washington Post released footage of the GOP presidential candidate, 70, bragging to Bush, 45, that he tried to sleep with a married woman (who was later revealed to be Nancy O’Dell) and that he can grab women “by the p–sy” because he’s a star and “can do anything.” In the aftermath, he has repeatedly defended himself and called the misogynistic remarks just “locker room banter.”)
Vieira has interviewed Trump several times over the years and said that she never heard him use such language in front of her before.
Since the tape leaked, women have come forward accusing Trump of sexual misconduct. On Thursday, he denied all allegations during a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Bush, meanwhile, will most likely be out of a job soon. As previously reported, he was suspended from NBC’s Today show over the tape and his exit is imminent. He hired lawyer Marshall Grossman as he awaits his fate.
“He’s definitely gone. A lot of people feel so bad for him. He’s a good guy. He made a mistake, but he’s a genuinely good guy,” a source previously told Us. “They don’t see any way he can go back on morning TV after this.”
Bush left Access Hollywood to join the Today show over the summer. Vieira worked alongside Matt Lauer on Today from 2006 to 2011.
Watch Vieira on WWHL in the video above.
