Donald Trump 'sorry' for lewd comments about women
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has apologised for crude and inappropriate comments he made about women on a video tape filmed in 2005.
Mr Trump said the words on the video "do not reflect who I am" as the backlash from his comments grew and senior Republicans criticised the vulgar views he expressed on the recording.
However, in his 90-second statement Mr Trump described the furore around his comments as "nothing more than a distraction from the important issues".
He added that he'd said some "foolish things" but went on to accuse Bill and Hillary Clinton of "abusing and bullying women".
Below is Donald Trump's full statement:
I’ve never said I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not. I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them.
Anyone who knows me, know these words don’t reflect who I am.
I said it, it was wrong, and I apologise.
I’ve travelled the country talking about change for America. But my travels have also changed me. I’ve spent time with grieving mothers who’ve lost their children, laid off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries, and people from all walks of life who just want a better future.
I have gotten to know the great people of our country, and I’ve been humbled by the faith they’ve placed in me.
I pledge to be a better man tomorrow, and will never, ever let you down.
Let’s be honest. We’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we are facing today. We are losing our jobs, we are less safe than we were 8 years ago and Washington is broken.Hillary Clinton, and her kind, have run our country into the ground.
I’ve said some foolish things, but there is a big difference between words and actions. Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.