GOP leaders start abandoning ship

Trump, who has spent his last 24 hours in his Trump Tower, made a brief appearance before his supporters at the lobby. On Sunday, he will face a confident Clinton for the second presidential debate. Pic/PTI

Washington: Donald Trump's presidential campaign yesterday appeared to be collapsing like a pack of cards, with many top Republican party leaders leaving his camp a day after his lewd remarks against women surfaced, but the controversial billionaire refused to quit the race.

The Republican party faced an unprecedented meltdown, with an increased chorus in the party and its leadership every passing hour for the 70-year-old reality TV star to drop out. Top senators and governors, distanced themselves from Trump; even his own running mate Mike Pence said he could neither condone nor defend his remarks in the 2005 videotape where he bragged in extremely vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with ‘married' women.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and RNC chairman Reince Priebus, also condemned Trump's remarks, but stopped short of withdrawing support altogether. However, veteran senator John McCain announced that he is withdrawing his endorsement. "Donald Trump's behaviour this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump," an official statement said. According to reports, some nine top Republican lawmakers have revoked their endorsement, while nearly two dozen others have asked him to withdraw from the race.

Trump, however, put up a defiant show. In an interview to The Wall Street Journal, he said, "There is zero chance I'll quit."