 |
| Hilary Clinton |
Even
at that Trump, who appears tended to go it alone without the support of
the top echelon of his party, believes it would be a waste of time for
Ryan to join in what has become the trend of repudiation of the top
echelon of the party from his campaigns, tweeting that the Speaker,
should not waste his time fighting him, .
Earlier
Democrat rival Hillary Clinton cast doubt on Mr Trump's apology for the
remarks, made 11 years ago, which he had described as "locker-room talk".
In
a bitter televised debate, a month before the US presidential election,
Trump denied he had groped anyone, causing Clinton to tweet on Monday
that, if he stood by this assertion, he was "clearly not sorry".
Meanwhile Mr Trump's running mate Mike Pence said he would stand by him despite an outcry over the remarks.
A
2005 video released on Friday revealed Mr Trump describing how he had
sought to have sex with a married woman and making obscene comments
about women.
Paul
Ryan, the highest-ranking Republican officeholder, has officially given
the signal. The SS Trump is sinking, and it's time for members of his
party to calmly, quietly head to the lifeboats.
 |
| Donald Trump |
Republican
control of Congress must be maintained at all costs, the House speaker
asserted in his call to congressional rank-and-file on Monday, lest
Hillary Clinton have the ability to advance her party's legislative
priorities and seat sympathetic Supreme Court justices without
opposition.
It's
notable that after reports he was mulling a full unendorsement of the
Republican nominee, Mr Ryan is apparently trying to a walk a fine line
between abandonment and loyalty to his putative standard-bearer. His
decision evokes shades of 1996, when Republican nominee Bob Dole's
doomed presidential campaign rolled along, oblivious to a party
apparatus that was focusing exclusively on down-ballot races.
It's
worth keeping in mind that while Mr Ryan is sounding the abandon-ship
alarm, Donald Trump may not play the stoic captain watching from the
bridge. He's shown no loyalty to a Republican establishment that never
truly embraced him and may have no qualms with lashing out at erstwhile
friend and foe alike in the campaign's final, turbulent days.
Asked
about the video in the debate, Mr Trump turned his fire on Mrs
Clinton's husband, ex-President Bill Clinton, whom he described as
"abusive to women". She refused to address the comments.
At
least 38 senior Republicans - including senators, members of Congress,
and state governors - have withdrawn their support since the video
surfaced on Friday.
According
to sources familiar with a conference call he held with congress
members on Monday, Ryan appeared to have accepted that Mrs Clinton would
win the White House and wanted to make sure Republicans in Congress
were strong enough to challenge her.
Mr
Ryan said he would spend "his entire energy making sure that Hillary
Clinton does not get a blank cheque with a Democrat-controlled
Congress", the source said.
"You all need to do what's best for you in your district," he was quoted as telling colleagues.
Mr
Trump apologised for the remarks, and when pressed during the debate on
whether he had engaged in sexual misconduct, he denied doing so.
But Mrs Clinton said his explanation that these were words not actions did not amount to an apology.
"If Trump stands by what he said about women as "locker room talk," he's clearly not sorry," she tweeted.
"I
think last night he showed his heart to the American people. He said he
apologised to his family, apologised to the American people, that he
was embarrassed by it," he told CNN on Monday.
The
vice-presidential candidate, who had earlier described the remarks as
indefensible, said he was "honoured to stand with" Mr Trump and denied
he had considered withdrawing from the race.
When
moderator Anderson Cooper asked about the video, Mr Trump denied ever
sexually assaulting women, dismissing the remarks as "just words".
Instead he focused on Bill Clinton's indiscretions.
BBC
Post a Comment