DHAKA: US presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he will never drop out of the race to be president. He would never let his supporters down, he added.
Trump has been under pressure after a tape from 2005 of him making obscene comments and bragging about groping and kissing women emerged on Friday.
He told the Wall Street Journal there was “zero chance I will quit” and he was getting ‘unbelievable’ support, reports the BBC.
Top Republicans have condemned Trump’s remarks in the video.
Since the tape emerged, at least 10 Republican senators have either said they will not be voting for the Republican candidate in the general election in 30 days’ time, or have called for him to stand aside.
The latest to join them is former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who said Trump’s comments “make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy”.
And former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: “Enough! Donald Trump should not be President. He should withdraw.”
Trump’s election rival Hillary Clinton called the comments ‘horrific’.
His running mate Mike Pence said he was ‘offended’ by Trump’s video, but grateful he had expressed remorse and apologized to the American people.
“We pray for his family”he said in a statement.
In an exuberantly capitalized tweet, the Republican candidate said “the media and establishment want me out of the race so badly”.
Trump’s wife Melania issued a statement on Saturday saying: “The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me.”
She said her husband had “the heart and mind of a leader”.
In the recorded comments, which date back to 2005 when Trump was appearing as a guest on a soap, he says “you can do anything” to women “when you are a star” and is heard saying “grab them by the pussy”.
The candidate released a video statement apologizing for the comments.
After some Republican lawmakers called on Trump to step down as candidate, the billionaire told the Washington Post later on Saturday that “I'd never withdraw. I've never withdrawn in my life.”
BDST: 0844 HRS, OCT 09, 2016
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