Washington Post releases graphic audio of Trump discussing women in 2005


Back in 2005, Donald Trump was riding aboard a bus with then-Access Hollywood host Billy Bush en route to the set of the soap opera Days of Our Lives, on which Trump was scheduled to make a cameo. And in audio obtained by The Washington Post and released Friday, Trump apparently carried on quite a vulgar conversation with Bush, discussing a failed attempt to seduce an unnamed woman before launching into an extremely lewd description of romance while famous.
"I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it," Trump says of the unnamed woman, apparently caught on a hot microphone while aboard the bus. "I did try and f--k her. She was married. ... I moved on her like a b---h, but I couldn't get there." Trump then goes on to insult the woman's physical appearance before Bush cuts in, saying, "Sheesh, your girl's hot at s--t!" apparently referring to actress Arianne Zucker, who was waiting to greet the men when they arrived to the soap's set.
"I better use some Tic Tacs in case I start kissing her," Trump says, with the sound of mints rattling in a box audible in the background. "I'm automatically attracted to beautiful— I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. ... And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p---y." The audio was apparently recorded in September 2005; in January of that year, Trump married his third wife, Melania.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement Friday, Trump dismissed the conversation with Bush as "locker room banter," adding: "Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course. I apologize if anyone was offended." The Post released the video footage where the audio was captured, which shows the Access Hollywood bus rolling into the lot and Trump and Bush exiting it and being greeted by Zucker — watch the whole thing here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami