Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Barack Obama condemns Donald Trump over crude sex remarks

 'It tells you that he's insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down. Not a character trait that I would advise for somebody in the Oval Office,' says Mr Obama

May Bulman
Monday 10 October 2016 02:55 EDT
Donald Trump caught on tape talking about sexually assaulting women: "Grab 'em by the pussy"

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Barack Obama has condemned Donald Trump for vulgar remarks he made in a tape that recently emerged showing him bragging in lewd terms about treating women with impunity.

The American president described Mr Trump's remarks as "unbelievable rhetoric" and said they show character traits he would "not advise for somebody in the Oval Office".

Speaking at a campaign event in Chicago for US Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth, Mr Obama said: “One of the most disturbing things about this election is just the unbelievable rhetoric coming at the top of the Republican ticket. I don't need to repeat it. There are children in the room.

“Demeaning women, degrading women — but also minorities. Immigrants. People of other faiths. Mocking the disabled. Insulting our troops, Insulting our veterans. That tells you a couple of things: It tells you that he's insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down. Not a character trait that I would advise for somebody in the Oval Office.”

Mr Obama went on to say that the comments suggest Trump “doesn't care much about the basic values," adding: “It tells you that he'd be careless with the civility and the respect that a real vibrant democracy requires."

The president's comments come just hours before Trump will face off against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the second presidential debate.

Mr Trump initially wrote off the controversy over his lewd comments as nothing more than "locker room banter among boys", but after haemorrhaging supporters for hours he issued a video apology.

Since the remarks were aired, further tapes have surfaced that show crude, sexually explicit conversations in a series of radio interviews over the past 23 years, even noting how “voluptuous” his daughter was.

Despite a growing number of senior Republicans openly condemming Mr Trump and mounting pressure on him to step aside over the remarks, Mr trump has asserted that he would "never withdraw".

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in