On Monday night, Access Hollywood took a moment to remind the world that Trump’s “grab them by the pussy” recording is real, regardless of what the president is reportedly saying now.
According to a recent New York Times article about Trump’s decision to endorse Roy Moore despite allegations of sexual misconduct against the GOP Senate hopeful, Trump has apparently started questioning the validity of the infamous 2005 tape. The Times reported that Trump suggested that the recording was not authentic to a senator and an advisor.
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This, of course, is a shift from last year, when Trump copped to the recording and apologized back when the story first broke. On Monday, Access Hollywood hosts Natalie Morales and Kit Hoover felt the need to clarify any confusion.
“We wanted to clear something up that has been reported across the media landscape. Let us make this perfectly clear: The tape is very real,” Morales said. “Remember, his excuse at the time was ‘locker-room talk.’ He said every one of those words.”
In the tape, Trump can be heard talking to then-host Billy Bush about women on the Access Hollywood bus, minutes before meeting soap opera actress Arianne Zucker. “I just kiss. I don’t even wait,” Trump said. “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Zucker also commented on Trump’s bizarre turn Monday during an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper, questioning how—and why—the president decided to change his tune so far after the fact.
“I don’t know how else that could be fake unless someone’s planting words in your mouth,” Zucker told Cooper. “How do you apologize for something and renege on it? It’s puzzling to me.”
Puzzling or not, Trump loves a juicy conspiracy theory, and this new one will likely just fuel the fire for the 46 percent of voters who believe that the media is conspiring against him or whatever.
