ITV debate: Farage likens infamous Trump comments on women to something ‘said on a night out after a drink’
‘Men say dreadful things sometimes’, Brexit Party leader says when questioned over president’s ‘grab them by the p***y’ remark
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Farage has compared Donald Trump’s lewd comments on women to things men say after drinking on a night out.
The Brexit Party leader has received backlash after he dismissed the president’s 2005 boast about “grabbing” women “by the p***y” during an ITV election debate on Sunday evening.
“If all of us were caught out with what we said on a night out after a drink, none of us would be here,” Mr Farage said.
During the live debate, which featured all major party leaders except for Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Farage was challenged by Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson over his historic defence of the US president.
His comments prompted laughter and gasps of shock from the audience at the live ITV debate.
Ms Swinson reminded Mr Farage of Mr Trump's record, saying everyone had seen the footage of him boasting about sexually assaulting women.
“It was crass, it was crude and it was wrong and men say dreadful things sometimes,” Mr Farage acknowledged.
As Ms Swinson said, sarcastically: “That’s all right, then,” he insisted: “They do, they do.”
He then added his comment about being caught out on what men said during a night out.
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price hit out at the US president’s comments, saying: “It can never be acceptable for a man to talk about grabbing a woman’s p***y.”
“If you think it is, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
In 2016, a video emerged of Mr Trump from 2005 in which he talked about seducing a married woman, adding: "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the p***y."
But Mr Farage hit back at Ms Swinson, saying: “All these false claims – you may not like it,” and accusing her of being prepared to put a “hatred of Trump” above the UK’s interests.
“I’m sure you’ve lived the purest life of anybody,” he told her.
Labour MP David Lammy condemned Mr Farage’s comments as “absolutely outrageous”. “All leaders should stand against misogyny, not make excuses for it,” he tweeted.
The panel were discussing whether the UK should be working closely with Mr Trump.
Rishi Sunak, for the Conservatives, said Mr Trump was an incredibly important ally.
Mr Price added: “This is creating the climate where abuse become acceptable, whether it be women or minorities, and that’s why neither Trump nor Johnson are fit to be in public office.”
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