Donald Trump was given the opportunity to address leaked audio in which he bragged about assault during Sunday's presidential debate, and his response was...less than ideal. While Trump could have used the opportunity to talk about sexual violence in the United States, he instead chalked his comments up to "locker room talk." Because apparently joking about assault is okay when it involves a bunch of men chilling in a locker room? IDK.
"No I didn't say that at all," Trump explained after Anderson Cooper described his comments as sexual assault. "I don't think you understood what was said. This was locker room talk. I'm not proud of it. I apologized to my family, I apologized to the American people. Certainly I'm not proud of it, but this is locker room talk."
Trump then attempted to steer the conversation to ISIS, again ditching the opportunity to talk about sexual violence—an issue that affects approximately 288,820 people per year in this country—until Cooper once again asked if he'd ever assaulted a woman.
"I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do," Trump said. "I have tremendous respect for women. And women have respect for me. And I will tell you, no, I have not."
Hillary Clinton's comments on the matter are as follows:
"What we all saw and heard on Friday was Donald talking about women. What he thinks about women. What he does to women. And he has said that the video doesn't represent who he is. But I think it's clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is."
You can watch the full debate below (pro tip: drink wine):
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