Donald Trump’s presidential campaign today appeared to be collapsing like a pack of cards, with many top Republican party leaders leaving his camp a day after his lewd remarks against women surfaced but the controversial billionaire refused to quit the race.
Trump even faced criticism from his wife Melania Trump who termed his remarks as "unacceptable and offensive" but exhorted the people to accept his apology, just as she has.
The Republican party faced an unprecedented meltdown, with an increased chorus in the party and its leadership every passing hour for the 70-year-old reality TV star to drop out of the presidential race ahead of the election next month.
One leader after another, including top Senators and Governors, distanced themselves from the New York-based real estate mogul, who joined Republican party only a little over a year ago and emerged as its presidential nominee in the short span.
Trump's own running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, declared he could neither condone nor defend Trump's remarks in a 2005 videotape that sparked panic inside Trump Tower and throughout the Republican Party with early voting already underway exactly one month before Election Day.
"We pray for his family," Pence said in a statement after canceling a Wisconsin appearance scheduled with House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, both of whom had condemned Trump's remarks the day before but stopped short of withdrawing support altogether.
"I am grateful that he has expressed remorse and apologised to the American people. We pray for his family and look forward to the opportunity he has to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night," Pence said in a statement.
Trump, however, put up a defiant show. In an interview to The Wall Street Journal, he said "there is zero chance I'll quit." He said the same thing in an interview to The Washington Post, which was the first to release a video of his lewd comments against women.
"I never give up. The support I am getting is unbelievable, because Hillary Clinton is a horribly flawed candidate," he said. "I'd never withdraw. I've never withdrawn in my life. No, I'm not quitting. I have tremendous support."
The furor places enormous pressure on Trump to try to tamp down a crisis sure to spill into Sunday night's presidential debate.
Trump, who has spent his last 24 hours in his Trump Tower in New York with his closest allies, also cancelled his appearance at a rally in Wisconsin.
Trump who made a brief appearance before his supporters at the lobby of his Trump Towers would face a confident Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, for the second presidential debate at St Louis on Sunday night.
More than a dozen Republicans — senators, congressmen and sitting governors — announced Saturday they would not vote for Trump.
Among them was the party's 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who had stood by Trump even after the billionaire questioned whether the former POW should be considered a war hero because he got "captured."
"He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set," McCain said in a statement. But given Trump's "behavior this week," McCain said.
"Donald Trump's behaviour this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Cindy, with her strong background in human rights and respect for women fully agrees with me in this," he said.
"Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump. I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and we will not vote for Hillary Clinton. We will write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president," he added.
"Enough! Donald Trump should not be President. He should withdraw," former secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a Facebook post.
According to reports, some nine top Republican lawmakers have revoked their endorsement of Trump, while nearly two dozen others have asked him to withdraw from the race.
"Donald Trump is wrong about his level of support. He needs to withdraw from the race," said Senator Jeff Flake.
"Enough is enough. Donald Trump should withdraw in favor of Governor Mike Pence. This election is too important," said South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard.
"If I support him for President, I will be telling my boys that I think it's okay to treat women like objects - and I'll have failed as a dad. Therefore, I can no longer support Donald Trump for President and will not be voting for him or Hillary Clinton," said Congressman Tom Rooney.
"While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump," said Utah Governor Gary Herbert.
Senator Ron Portman said: "While I continue to respect those who still support Donald Trump, I can no longer support him. I continue to believe our country cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency. I will be voting for Mike Pence for President."
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal said the Republican National Committee will redirect its funds meant for Trump for other Congressional candidates. Politico reported the party directed a mailing vendor to hold off on all projects related to the Republican National Committee-Trump joint "Victory" fund.
The backlash came even as Trump's immediate family hoped that people would accept the apology of the real estate mogul, who is now facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat in the November 8 general elections.
"The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me," his wife Melania Trump said in a rare statement yesterday evening.
"This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world," Melania said.
His son Eric Trump sent an email to his supporters asking them to support his father and help him raise funds.
"My father has been preparing for tomorrow night's debate and I know you're going to be proud. To ensure he delivers a tremendous victory for the American people, I will once again hand him a list of supporters who made a contribution in honour of our great movement," Eric said.
His other son Donald Trump Jr also came out in his support on a day when Trump was facing the worst political crisis of his life, saying: "These false, negative ads are going to start coming quickly now that there are only 30 days left. And we absolutely need to make sure we are fully funded, or else we won’t be able counter each and every one of these false attacks with the truth."
His party in chaos, Trump spent Saturday with a close circle of advisers in his campaign's midtown Manhattan headquarters. Among them: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said calls for Trump to bow out are simply the "wishful thinking of the Clinton campaign and those people who have opposed him for a long time."
Most of Trump's staff and network of supporters were left in the dark about the fast-moving developments. Conference calls were canceled and prominent supporters were given no guidance about how to respond to the explosive development, according to a person close to the Trump operation. The person insisted on anonymity, lacking the authority to discuss internal campaign matters publicly.
Trump addressed the dire situation on Saturday with a light-hearted tweet: "Certainly has been an interesting 24 hours!"
He later tweeted he would not yield the GOP nomination under any circumstances: "The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly - I WILL NEVER DROP OUT OF THE RACE, WILL NEVER LET MY SUPPORTERS DOWN!"
The political firestorm was sparked by a 2005 video obtained and released Friday by The Washington Post and NBC News. In the video, Trump, who was married to his current wife at the time, is heard describing attempts to have sex with a married woman. He also brags about women letting him kiss them and grab their genitals because he is famous.
"When you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump says in the video. He adds seconds later: "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything." He said of his impulse to kiss beautiful women: "I don't even wait."
In a video statement released by his campaign after midnight early Saturday morning, Trump said, "I was wrong and I apologize." But also dismissed the revelations as "nothing more than a distraction" from a decade ago.
Foreshadowing a likely attack in Sunday's debate, he also suggested that rival Hillary Clinton has committed greater sins against women.
"I've said some foolish things," Trump said. "But there's a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims."
While still publicly backing Trump, the Republican National Committee is considering how to move forward.
One possibility: re-directing its expansive political operation away from Trump and toward helping vulnerable Senate and House candidates. Such a move would leave Trump with virtually no political infrastructure in swing states to identify his supporters and ensure they vote.
The release of the recording and ensuing backlash almost completely overshadowed the release of hacked emails from inside the Hillary Clinton campaign that revealed the contents of some of her previously secret paid speeches to Wall Street.
The Democratic nominee told bankers behind closed doors that she favored "open trade and open borders" and said Wall Street executives were best-positioned to help overhaul the U.S. financial sector. Such comments were distinctively at odds with her tough talk about trade and Wall Street during the primary campaign.
Republican strategist Terry Sullivan, who previously led Marco Rubio's presidential campaign, predicted Trump's defeat.
"It's over," Sullivan said. "The only good news is that in 30 days Trump will be back to being just a former reality TV star like the Kardashians, and Republican candidates across America will no longer be asked to respond to his stupid remarks."
