Gen Z and Democrats revive Trump's “Access Hollywood” band

Published

2024-11-02 05:00

5:00

November 2, 2024

Am

Eight years after its original release, the “Access Hollywood” recording of Donald Trump bragging about “grabbing women by the pussy” is experiencing a resurgence.

The recording was released a month before the 2016 election, and while many Republicans distanced themselves from Trump and condemned his words in the immediate aftermath, he won the election.

In the audio recording, Trump describes how he is “automatically” attracted to beautiful women and “just starts kissing them.” It's like a magnet… I don't even wait.” He explained: “When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab her by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Now the former president is running again and several young women have posted viral TikTok videos reacting to the audio, prompting some young people to listen to the audio for the first time. Democrats are also resurfacing the offensive comments in this critical week before the election to highlight the long history of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump made by women, even though he claims to be their protector whether they “want it.” or not”.

Many young voters may have been exposed to Trump's comments for the first time this week. Those newly eligible to vote this year would have been 10 years old at the time the volume was published in 2016.

“I don’t think any of my friends heard it,” Kate Sullivan told The Washington Post. The 21-year-old from Ohio first heard the clip on TikTok.

Sullivan posted a video of herself listening to the Trump video on TikTok last Friday. Her eyes widened when the former president said he approached a possible conquest “like a bitch.” The white text in the video reads: “Fathers are voting for this man.” It has garnered over 2.7 million views in a week. In the caption, Sullivan tagged Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.

While Trump's comments did not play a significant role in 2020, Democrats had planned to amplify them even before the tape entered the public consciousness. On Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee announced a seven-figure buyout for digital ads in lifestyle magazines. The ad aimed at women, which runs in Vogue and Glamour, features “Grab them by the” in cursive and a tabby cat peeking out from behind a ballot box. It urges viewers to vote Democratic and aims to remind women who may not be engaged with political news how they felt when they first heard Trump's comments.

“Trump's rhetoric has only become more extreme and disturbing over the years, and whether it's a comment from 10 years ago or a comment from yesterday, he's striking a chord with American women because he's not just hot air is — it reflects a real record and agenda that undermines that of women.” “The right to control their own bodies,” DNC communications director Rosemary Boeglin wrote via email.

Tim Walz, Harris' vice president, echoed Trump's words this week, linking them to the policies he has championed during his time in office and on the campaign trail. “The women you are thinking about have fewer rights than their mothers or grandmothers,” Walz said Thursday at a campaign rally in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. “Now 20 states have the Trump abortion ban.”

He was referring to Trump's claim earlier this week that we would be a “protector of women” whether “they like it or not.”

“That’s how this guy lived his life,” Walz said. “That's why he was on the 'Access Hollywood' tape and that's why he ended up in court.”

In May 2023, a jury found Trump guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. Following the verdict, he was again found liable for defamation against her and was ordered to pay $83 million in damages, in addition to the $5 million already owed to Carroll.

Trump originally apologized in 2016 after the tape was released, but has since cast doubt on its authenticity.

Wynton Wong contributed reporting.