Donald Trump has said he will "never withdraw" from the race for the White House after calls from his own party to step aside.
He was forced to tell the Wall Street Journal there was "zero chance I'll quit" after a growing number of Republican national politicians said they were no longer able to endorse the presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s US presidential election running mate, has refused to answer questions on the Republican nominee’s remarks about women.
A video released by ABC News depicts Governor Mike Pence pointedly ignoring questions on the scandal:
.@Mike_Pence repeatedly ignores questions about recording of @realDonaldTrump making vulgar remarks about women. https://t.co/W8lzKnOWnZ pic.twitter.com/7geWGlqcnt
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 8, 2016
Pence, a man who describes himself as a “Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order," had earlier released a statement saying that he won’t condone or defend the remarks.
A video emerged last night of Trump making crude comments about a married woman he tried to seduce.
Trump has apologised for his comments yet claimed the video was "nothing more than a distraction" arguing his words were far less shocking than Bill Clinton’s marital affairs.
"I've said some foolish things," the Republican presidential nominee said in a taped apology posted on his Facebook page early Saturday morning. "But there's a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women."
Reports say Pence is furious regarding the remarks. In a statement, he said he hopes Trump can show the nation “what is in his heart” at tomorrows night presidential debate.
My statement below: pic.twitter.com/92VYEAxIcl
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 8, 2016
Pence has previously defended his running partner’s outspoken nature as a refusal to "tiptoe around those thousands of rules of political correctness"
By the time Trump’s apology was released, three Republican members of Congress had already called on him to step away from the race.
Jason Chaffetz, the Republican representative for Utah, called the remarks, "some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine."
House speaker Paul Ryan said he was “sickened” by the comments while GOP chairman Reince Priebus said: "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever."
Pence has cancelled his Saturday appearance at a rally in Wisconsin where he was to be joined by speaker Paul Ryan and would have been expected to advocate for Trump.
