Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton participate in the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, the United States, on Oct. 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, the United States, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump apologized Sunday night during his second presidential debate for his lewd remarks about women, but reiterated that was "locker room banter."
To the astonishment of the audience, Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton entered the town-hall format debate without even a handshake.
"You hear these things I've said and I was embarrassed by it," Trump said while addressing the opening questions of the debate, which were adjusted to focus on the recent disclosure of a video clip taped in 2005 in which Trump bragged in obscene language about sexually forcing himself on women.
However, he denied ever kissing women against their will or groping women without consent in the high-temperatured and high-stake debate.
In an unprecedented remark, the Republican nominee said if elected president, he would re-open an email probe into Clinton's use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
"There were 33,000 emails that you deleted and that you acid-washed," he said. "If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation."
The newly surfaced episode about Trump's vulgar comments has thrown the New York billionaire's presidential campaign, and even the Republican Party, into turmoil over the weekend.
More than two dozen Republican lawmakers have distanced themselves from their party's nominee, some withdrawing endorsements or called on him to drop out of the race for the White House.
Some spoke of vice presidential candidate Mike Pence as an alternative. Pence, whose calm and collected performance in last week's vice presidential debate scored points for the party's ticket, also delivered an unheard-up reproach by a running mate, saying in a statement that "he was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump."
He called the second debate as a crucial moment to turn around the campaign. Although the Republican party's top leadership, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and party chairman Reince Priebus, stopped short of reversing their support, they decried his vulgar comments.
Trump acted as his own fireman, offering an apology for what he called "locker room banter" conversation in a brief statement while attacking former President Bill Clinton for even worse remarks on women. However, Trump vowed not to quit under any circumstances.
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Backgrounder: U.S. presidential debates
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri, the United States, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had rolled up his sleeves for a battle with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the second presidential debate on Sunday to lift the shadow left hanging over his campaign by his subdued performance in their first showdown.
But the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his brags about sexual assaults unleashed a nearly deadly blow to his already momentum-stalling campaign and it is hard for the brash New York billionaire to bring the campaign back on track with the Nov. 8 election only four weeks away, experts said. Full story
News Analysis: First Trump-Clinton debate has yet to convince undecided voters
NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded barbs in unusually personal terms during their first presidential debate, with Clinton blasting Trump for dodging taxes and being sexist and racist, and Trump accusing Clinton of lacking stamina for the presidency.
Their performance in the relentlessly derogatory showdown Monday night may help appease some voter concerns about their respective physical and mental fitness for presidency, but is far from building enough trust among undecided voters to chart a path to win the decisive 270 electoral votes for the Oval Office, U.S. experts said. Full story
