A growing number of Republican members of Congress say they can no longer support the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Some have called for Trump to drop out of the race in the wake of a 2005 video in which Trump is heard bragging about how his fame allowed him to “do anything” to women. Lawmakers from both parties have denounced the comments as vulgar and predatory.
GOP lawmakers who have called for Trump to step down:
- Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois
- Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska
- Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona
- Sen. Michael Crapo of Idaho
- Sen. Mike Lee of Utah
- Sen. John Thune of South Dakota
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
- Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska
- Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado
- Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia
- Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada
- Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama
- Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama
- Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado
- Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois
- Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri
- Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan
- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska
- Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan
- Rep. John Katko of New York
- Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida
- Rep. Will Hurd of Texas
- Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah
- Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Scott Garrett of New Jersey
- Rep. Kay Granger of Texas
- Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Mia Love of Utah
Lawmakers who have withdrawn support for Trump:
- Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire
- Sen. John McCain of Arizona
- Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah
- Rep. Cresent Hardy of Nevada
- Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota
- Rep. Steve Knight of California
- Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida
- Rep. Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
- Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler of Washington state
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she was “deeply offended” by Trump’s remarks, calling them “disgusting and demeaning,” and said, “The appropriate next step may be for him to re-examine his candidacy.”
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., withdrew her support for Trump this past weekend and called for him to step aside. She reversed course this week and said she was supporting Trump and would vote for the Republican presidential ticket.