Melania Trump, the wife of Donald Trump, said Saturday his lewd comments caught on tape were “unacceptable and offensive to me” as the Trump campaign confronted the escalating fallout from the surfacing of Trump’s sexually suggestive remarks in an 11-year-old video.
“The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world,” she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rodney Davis R-Ill., joined a list of Republican officials who called on Trump to drop out of the race.
“As parents of a teenage daughter and teen twin boys, my wife and I teach them to respect women and that they will be judged by their words and actions. The abhorrent comments made by Donald Trump are inexcusable and go directly against what I’ve been doing in Washington to combat assaults on college campuses. Because of this, I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee. With the terrible options America has right now, I cannot cast my vote for any of the candidates, so I hope Donald Trump withdraws from the race so the American people can elect Mike Pence as our next president,” Davis said in a statement.
After a long period of deliberation, Ohio Gov. John Kasich finally made the call and nixed Trump: “Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support. The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that’s not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about. I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better.”
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined a chorus of Republicans who announced Saturday they will not support Donald Trump in the general election.
Schwarzenegger this year took over as host of NBC's "The Apprentice," as Trump, the show's previous host, runs for president. Schwarzenegger did not indicate for whom he would vote in November.