On Friday, the Washington Post unearthed a video of a 2005 Access Hollywood appearance from Donald Trump, who joked that as "a star, you can do anything," including grabbing a woman "by the p****." The backlash for Trump's comments, which condone and normalize sexual assault, has been swift and decisive among Republican lawmakers; many have claimed the comment was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Saturday afternoon, Politico also reported that the GOP's "Victory" project--a program devoted to helping Trump clinch the election--appeared to halt activity on Saturday at the direct request of a top-level GOP staffer.
Below, a list of the Republican lawmakers who have formally withdrawn support for Trump in the hours since the report was published:
- Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona)
- Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
- Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado)
- Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Illinois)
- Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Alabama)
"Donald Trump’s comments regarding women were disgraceful and appalling,” Byrne said. “There are absolutely no circumstances under which it would ever be appropriate to speak of women in such a way. It is now clear Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States and cannot defeat Hillary Clinton. I believe he should step aside and allow Governor Pence to lead the Republican ticket." - Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
- Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
- Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota)
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia)
- Rep. Martha Roby (R-Alabama)
- Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R-South Dakota)
- Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Virginia)
"This is disgusting, vile, and disqualifying. No woman should ever be subjected to this type of obscene behavior and it is unbecoming of anybody seeking high office. In light of these comments, Donald Trump should step aside and allow our party to replace him with Mike Pence or another appropriate nominee from the Republican Party. I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump and I would never vote for Hillary Clinton."
- Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah)
- Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois)
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
- Gov. Gary Herbert (R-Utah)
- Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado)
"For the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump should step aside. His defeat at this point seems almost certain. And four years of Hillary Clinton is not what is best for this country. Mr. Trump should put the country first and do the right thing."
- Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona)
- Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah)
"I have reached the decision that I can no longer endorse Donald Trump. This is not a decision that I have reached lightly, but his pattern of behavior has left me no choice. I urge Donald Trump to step aside and allow the Republican party to put forward a conservative candidate like Mike Pence that can defeat Hillary Clinton."
- Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska)
- Fed Upton (R-Michigan)
- Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire)
"I wanted to be able to support my party’s nominee, chosen by the people, because I feel strongly that we need a change in direction for our country. However, I’m a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women."
- Rep. Scott Garrett (R-New Jersey)
- Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-Nevada)
"I will no longer support the guy at the head of the ticket. ... I've said all along that I would support him, but I no longer will."
- Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nevada)
- Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri)
Other notable figures that have withdrawn support for Trump:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Carly Fiorina
- Pratik Chougule
Trump's ex-policy chief wrote Saturday that "under no circumstances" will he "support Donald Trump for president."
"I regret my decision last April to join the campaign as policy coordinator. Although I left the campaign in August for a variety of reasons, I wish that I had done so sooner and spoken out more forcefully against a candidate who embodies the worst excesses of our culture," he said.
We will continue to update this post.
