--- title: Donald Trump Says He Can ‘Do Anything’ to Women on Hot Mic description: Donald Trump on Friday played down but also quickly apologized for 2005 remarks that surfaced in newly-published audio canonical: https://time.com/4523526/donald-trump-women-leaked-audio/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-07T20:45:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T15:48:17.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump in Leaked Audio: I Can ‘Do Anything’ to Women og:description: "When you’re a star they let you do it" og:url: https://time.com/4523526/donald-trump-women-leaked-audio/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd72f461259864f24/6988a933524fc03080df9c4c/donald-trump-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Pueblo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump in Leaked Audio: I Can ‘Do Anything’ to Women twitter:description: "When you’re a star they let you do it" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd72f461259864f24/6988a933524fc03080df9c4c/donald-trump-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:31 video:published: 2016-10-08 section: politics topics: presidential campaign, public apology, leaked recording, sexual remarks about women, economic concerns, Clinton attacks, upcoming debate, political accountability genre: political statement, video statement tones: defensive, apologetic, combative, rehabilitative emotions: regret (medium), defensiveness (high), anger (medium), humility (low) sentiment: negative audience: voters, political observers, news consumers, campaign supporters people: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton content_suitability: sexual content [00:00-00:14]; politics [00:00-01:31]; crime [01:10-01:25]; financial distress [00:52-01:02] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Donald Trump in Leaked Audio: I Can ‘Do Anything’ to Women > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=531b2d66-dc6d-4586-8645-dca62fbf49ae&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Donald Trump's Facebook Statement [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump's Facebook Statement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MLqKZLTC.m3u8) (1:31)  _Published 2016-10-08. The bombshell dropped on the Washington Post’s website : a video of Donald Trump, in 2005, using extremely vulgar language to describe women, detailing his attempt to bed a married woman and bragging that he can grope women because he is a celebrity._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Donald Trump issues a statement responding to a released recording of himself making vulgar remarks about women, saying the words do not reflect who he is and that he regrets them. He pivots to economic and security concerns, criticizes Hillary Clinton, and argues that Bill Clinton has abused women. He closes by promising further discussion in the coming days and referencing an upcoming debate. ## Key points - Trump says he has never claimed to be a perfect person and has said and done things he regrets, including the words in the released video. (00:00) - Trump states he said the words in the video, that he was wrong, and that he apologizes. (00:14) - Trump says his travels have changed him, including meeting grieving mothers and workers laid off as jobs moved to other countries. (00:23) - Trump pledges to be a better man tomorrow and says he will never let the people of the country down. (00:44) - Trump characterizes the release as a distraction from important issues such as job losses, safety, and a broken Washington. (00:52) - Trump says Hillary Clinton and her kind have run the country into the ground. (01:02) - Trump argues there is a big difference between his words and actions and those of others, claiming Bill Clinton has actually abused women. (01:10) - Trump accuses Hillary Clinton of bullying, attacking, shaming and intimidating Bill Clinton's victims, and says the topic will be discussed further in coming days. (01:17) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:14] Acknowledging regret over released words. Trump says he is not perfect and that the words in the released video are among things he regrets. - [00:14 to 00:44] Apology and pledge to change. Trump says the words were wrong, apologizes, describes changes from his travels, and pledges to be a better man. - [00:44 to 01:31] Redirecting to rivals and the debate. Trump calls the release a distraction, attacks the Clintons, and signals further discussion before Sunday's debate. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Donald Trump: "I've said and done things I regret" - [00:14] Donald Trump: "I said it. I was wrong and I apologize." - [00:52] Donald Trump: "This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we are facing today." - [01:10] Donald Trump: "Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims." ## Questions this video answers - Does Trump acknowledge the words in the released video? [00:14] - Does Trump apologize for the remarks? [00:14] - How does Trump say his travels have affected him? [00:23] - What does Trump say the released video distracts from? [00:52] - What does Trump claim about Bill and Hillary Clinton? [01:10] - When and where will Trump address the issue further? [01:25] ## Content suitability - sexual content [00:00-00:14]: Refers to a released recording containing vulgar remarks about women; the recording itself is described, not played, in the transcript. - politics [00:00-01:31]: Entire video is a political statement during a presidential campaign. - crime [01:10-01:25]: References allegations that Bill Clinton abused women. - financial distress [00:52-01:02]: Mentions job losses and workers laid off as jobs moved overseas.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:48 PM UTCPublished: Oct 7, 2016 8:45 PM UTC The bombshell dropped on the Washington Post’s website : a video of Donald Trump, in 2005, using extremely vulgar language to describe women, detailing his attempt to bed a married woman and bragging that he can grope women because he is a celebrity.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:48 PM UTCPublished: Oct 7, 2016 8:45 PM UTC [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4522768/donald-trump-undocumented-immigrants-let-in-so-they-can-go-and-vote/) on Friday responded to [newly-published audio](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4%5Fstory.html?tid=sm%5Ftw) of 2005 remarks, in which he was heard lewdly bragging about his ability to “do anything” to women. In the audio, published by [the Washington _Post_,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4%5Fstory.html?hpid=hp%5Fhp-top-table-main%5Ftrumptape-404pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) Trump tells TV host Billy Bush how he unsuccessfully tried to have sex with a married woman and how “you can do anything” to women “when you’re a star.” The conversation caught on a hot mic took place shortly after Trump married his third wife, Melania, according to the newspaper. “I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump can be heard saying. “I did try and f–k her. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, ‘I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.’” “I moved on her like a b—h, but I couldn’t get there,” he adds. “And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.” The real estate mogul also told Bush that he’s “automatically attracted to beautiful” women, like a “magnet,” and that sometimes he goes straight for a kiss. “I just start kissing them,” he says. “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything.” “Grab them by the p—y,” Trump adds. “You can do anything.” Trump quickly responded Friday with a [statement](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/statement-from-donald-j.-trump). “This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago,” he said. “Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course—not even close.” Hillary Clinton criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “horrific.” “We cannot allow this man to become president,” she [tweeted](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/784497331647422464). ## Transcript [00:00] I've never said I'm a perfect person nor pretended to be [00:03] someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret [00:07] and the words released today, on this more than a decade [00:10] old video, are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows [00:14] these words don't reflect who I am. I said it. I [00:19] was wrong and I apologize. I've traveled the country talking [00:23] about change for America but my travels have also [00:26] changed me. I've spent time with grieving mothers who've [00:30] lost their children, laid off workers whose jobs have gone to [00:33] other countries, and people from all walks of life who just [00:37] want a better future. I have gotten to know the great people [00:41] of our country and I've been humbled by the faith they [00:44] placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will [00:48] never ever let you down. Let's be honest we're [00:52] living in the real world. This is nothing more than a [00:55] distraction from the important issues we are facing today. [00:58] We are losing our jobs. We are less safe than we were [01:02] eight years ago and Washington is totally broken. Hillary [01:06] Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground. [01:10] I've said some foolish things but there is a big difference [01:13] between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton [01:17] has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, [01:21] attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will [01:25] discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the [01:28] debate on Sunday. 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