Senior US Republican Party figures have urged Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race after he was caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women.
Dozens of Republican senators, members of congress and state governors either withdrew their support or called on Mr Trump to end his White House bid after tapes recording him speaking in vulgar terms about groping and forcing himself on women surfaced on Friday.
The reality TV star boasted about having “moved” on a married woman and being able to “do anything” to women, including “grab them by the pussy” because of his celebrity in the 2005 video.
The recording, which was obtained by the Washington Post, was made while Mr Trump was being filmed for an entertainment TV programme about his cameo appearance on a soap opera.
A number of leading Republican politicians said Mr Trump's vice-presidential running mate, Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, should take over as the party's presidential nominee.
Republicans paused campaigning for the property developer and even consulted the party’s rules on whether he could be ousted as their nominee, an option that would prove difficult given some voters have cast their ballots 29 days ahead of the November 8th election.
Mr Pence and his wife Karen added to a cacophony of condemnation that grew in volume over the weekend as Republicans, particularly those embroiled in a tough election battle next month to retain control of the US congress, lined up to denounce him.
John Thune of South Dakota, the third highest-ranking Republican senator, joined several other senators and members of congress urging the businessman to withdraw from the race.
Utah senator Mike Lee said the party had to find another nominee or it would not win the election. "We've got candidates who can do it. There's still time to do it, but we have to actually do it," he told NBC's Sunday political talk show, Meet The Press.
Mr Trump remained unperturbed by the pressure besieging him and his team as they made last-minute preparations for the second presidential debate on Sunday night, a critical moment for his campaign.
The candidate, who offered two highly qualified apologies for his remarks, told the Wall Street Journal there was "zero chance I'll quit."
