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CNN NEWSROOM

Pence: Cannot Condone Trump's Words on Video; GOP Calls Grow for Trump to Step Down Following Tape Release; Trump Says He Can Survive Video Fallout; Trump Team Huddles at Trump Tower to Plan; Trump Defiant After Lewd Video Released; GOP Looks to Oust Trump, Invoke Rule Nine; How Will Trump Video Release Affect Women Voters. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired October 8, 2016 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[13:00:00] FRANK SESNO, SCHOOL OF MEDIA & PUBLIC AFFAIRS, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: It's breathtaking, positively breathtaking. What we have heard is the ground opening up under the Republican Party. A parade of people, John Thune, as mentioned, hugely influential.

Joe Heck's comments in Nevada were interesting. He was trying to be, as he could be, but he was heckled by others in the crowd. Donald Trump continues to have a strong following, people inclined to not shrug it off, but put it in context with other things. The Republican Party establishment has to wrestle with it. One thing Heck said that was very correct and is going to come back is not just the tape that surfaced, but a pattern of behavior. I looked this up. You know, over the 1990s and the early 2000s, we know Donald Trump has more than a dozen conversations on the air with Howard Stern and he talked about women and who was a 10 and who we would sleep with and who he thought was most attractive. It's not just this tape and this issue that is coming to haunt both Trump and his candidacy but really to challenge the Republican party itself on how they are going to handle this crisis, this moment, the candidacy, and how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's all playing out in front of us.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Frank Sesno, Sunlen, Manu, stick around. Thank you so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WHITFIELD: Hello, again. And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, live from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the site of tomorrow night's presidential debate here on CNN.

We begin with what everyone is talking about. Can Donald Trump survive the fallout from that 2005 video where he made lewd and sexually illicit comments about women? Trump says, yes, telling the "Wall Street Journal," "There is zero chance I will quit." We'll talk to the reporter who spoke to Trump in a moment.

A source telling CNN there is growing pressure on the RNC to dump Trump. A top RNC official tells CNN, "It's unrealistic and politically risky to besiege 50 different secretaries of state to change ballots or to pursue write-in efforts. We are stuck and so is Pence."

Calls for dumping Trump coming just hours after Trump was caught on video making sexually explicit and vulgar comments towards women. His microphone was on during an unaired taping of "Access Hollywood" in 2005.

We warn you, it is extremely graphic. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I moved on her actually. You know she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it.

BILL BUSH, CO-HOST, TODAY SHOW: Whoa.

TRUMP: I did join (EXPLETIVE DELETED). She was married.

BUSH: That huge news.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: No, no, Nancy. No, this was I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her furniture shopping. She wanted to get furniture. I said I'll show you where they have nice furniture. I moved on her like a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). But I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden, I see she now has the bit phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look.

BUSH: Sheesh, your girl's hot as (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in the purple.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa! Whoa! Yes, the Donald is good.

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, my man. Wait, you have to look.

TRUMP: Maybe it's a different one.

Better not be. That's her with the gold. I better eat Tic-Tacs in case I start kissing her.

I'm automatically attracted to beautiful. I just start kissing them. It's like a magnetic.

(LAUGHTER)

When you are a star, you can do whatever you want. You can do anything.

BUSH: Whatever you want.

TRUMP: Grab them by the (EXPLETIVE DELETED). (LAUGHTER)

You can do anything.

BUSH: Yeah, those legs, all I can see are the legs.

TRUMP: No, it looks good.

BUSH: Come on Shorty.

TRUMP: On, nice legs, huh?

BUSH: Yeah, get out of the way, n=honey. Oh, that's good legs. Go ahead.

TRUMP: It's always good if you don't fall out of the bus, like Ford, Gerald Ford, remember?

BUSH: Down below. Pull the handle.

Hello, how are you? Hi?

ARIANNE ZUCKER, ACTRESS: How are you?

TRUMP: Terrific. Terrific you know Billy Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?

BUSH: Hello, nice to see you. How are you?

ZUCKER: Doing very well, thank you.

Are you ready to be a soap star?

TRUMP: We're ready. Let's go. Make me a soap star.

BUSH: How about a little hug for the Donald. He just got off the bus.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: OK, absolutely.

Melania said this was OK.

(CROSSTALK)

BUSH: There we go. Excellent.

Well, you have a nice co-star here.

ZUCKER: Yes, absolutely.

TRUMP: After you.

Come on, Billy, don't be shy. BUSH: Soon as a beautiful woman shows up, he just, he takes off.

This always happens.

TRUMP: Get over here, Billy.

ZUCKER: I'm sorry, come here.

TRUMP: Let the little guy in.

ZUCKER: Yeah, let the little guy in. How do you feel now? Better?

BUSH: It's hard to walk next to a guy like this.

You get in the middle. There you go.

TRUMP: Good. That's better.

ZUCKER: That's much better.

TRUMP: That's better.

BUSH: If you had to choose between one of us, me or the Donald?

ZUCKER: I don't know.

TRUMP: That's tough competition.

BUSH: Seriously, if you had to pick one of us as a date.

ZUCKER: I have to take the Fifth on that one.

BUSH: Yeah?

[13:05:14] ZUCKER: Yeah. I'll take both.

TRUMP: Which way?

ZUCKER: Make a right

Here you go. Have a good day.

BUSH: Here we go. Going to leave you here.

TRUMP: OK.

BUSH: Give you my microphone.

TRUMP: Oh, you're finished?

BUSH: Yeah.

TRUMP: Oh, good.

BUSH: I'm going to do my show.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Trump did respond by posting a defiant apology on Facebook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've never said I'm perfect person nor pretended to be someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret. And the words released today on this decade-old video are one of them.

Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong and I apologize.

I travel the country talking about change for America but my travels have also changed me. I've spent time with grieving mothers who've lost their children, laid-off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries, and people from all walks of life who just want a better future. I've gotten to know the great people of our country and I've been humbled by the faith they placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never, ever let you down.

Let's be honest. We're living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we're facing today. We are losing our jobs. We're less safe than we were eight years ago. And Washington is totally broken. Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground.

I've said some foolish things but there's a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A short time ago, we learned vice presidential candidate, Mike Pence, pulled out of a rally in Wisconsin held by House Speaker Paul Ryan. We just got a statement from him saying, quote, "As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released yesterday. I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them. I am grateful he expressed remorse and apologized to the American people. We pray for his family and look forward to the opportunity he has to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night," end quote.

That from Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate.

This ripple effect of all of this is being felt all across the country. We have it all covered for you. Senior politics reporter, Manu Raju, and CNN correspondents, Sunlen Serfaty and Phil Mattingly, are also joining us.

But first, I want to bring in Monica Langley, the "Wall Street Journal" reporter that spoke to Donald Trump.

Monica, Trump told you, we understand, saying, quote, "The support I'm getting is unbelievable." Tell me more about what he told you and why he believes he's staying in this race.

MONICA LANGLEY, REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL (voice-over): Hi, glad to be with you. I called him this morning in his residence at Trump Tower. I said, you know, I have to talk to you because, clearly, the campaign is in crisis. And he said, just the opposite. "Monica," he said, "the campaign isn't in crisis. The support I'm getting is unbelievable." I acted surprised, of course. I said how can that be? He said, it's because Hillary Clinton is a horribly flawed candidate. People don't want to support her. So, I said, well, there's so many Republicans now coming out against you. And I said they want you to quit. And he said, "There's zero chance I'll quit." I said, you know, really, you are getting a lot of pressure. He said, "You know me, I'm never, ever give up," which is true. I mean he never, ever gives up.

You know, then he talked about how there have been so many times during the campaign when he's made these controversial statements. You and I have all covered them. He ends up going up in the polls. I don't know if he is misguided or going to be accurate that he may not be in crisis or may go up. We'll see.

WHITFIELD: So, in your conversation with him, he doesn't -- it doesn't appear as though he is in crisis mode. He is moving forward, preparing or looking forward to the debate tomorrow night. Did he tell you anything about whether he will rephrase his apology that was released last night that is receiving criticism within the GOP, which people within the GOP say it's not contrite enough? Did you have that kind of conversation about whether he needs to say more or whether he needs to redress his apology?

[13:10:29] LANGLEY: In the conversation with me, he did not discuss going further in the apology. Actually, he was a little more on the offense. What he said to me is, go behind closed doors of the holier- than-thou politicians and pundits and see what they are saying. I look like a baby, he said. He was on the offense. He wasn't being more apologetic when he talked to me.

WHITFIELD: And is he -- did he say anything to you about what this has done to the campaign? How his advisers are responding? What they are telling him? How his family, his sons, his daughter, what they are saying to him in light of this release of the 2005 video?

LANGLEY: Well, of course, he talks about all the support he's getting, all the e-mails, all -- his phone is ringing off the hook. But, you know what I asked him? I have been covering him for more than a year. I have traveled with him on the plane. I have been -- I was just in the campaign headquarters this past Friday. I do know the family. I specifically asked him what has been the reaction to the two women with whom you are closest, your wife, Melania, and your daughter, Ivanka? How are they taking this leak of your comments? Here is what he said, "I was with Ivanka yesterday. I'm with Melania now. They fully understand and they are very loyal." Those were his comments. Then I said, how do you think --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Do you elaborate on what they understand? Go ahead.

LANGLEY: And here's what he said further. I said, how do you think, you know, the American public, if they fully understand, do you think the American public and women understand? Here is what he said, "People get it. They get life."

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: So, he is in his own world, that's what it sounds like --

LANGLEY: Basically, he expects that people understand him. That he, as he said last night, you know, people understand that's the kind of person that he has been, that he may not be that person anymore, that he is going to be a better man. I think that's what he said last night.

We saw the statement from his running mate, Mike Pence, today, where he said he was offended and will pray for Donald Trump's family. I actually traveled with Mike Pence last week and I can tell you, being on the plane with him, he was with his -- Mike Pence was with his wife of 31 years and one of his three children, a daughter. And it is -- his wife is with him. They come and go to events holding hands. I mean, it is clear that Mike Pence is a very strong Christian person. And I can see how this kind of comment, the comments that were leaked, would be offensive to him. So, I do not know what he will be advising Trump to say today, but -- and tomorrow at the debate.

I did bring up to Donald Trump, in my phone call, I said how are you going to handle preparing for the debate. He said, "I am studying and working on the debate." I said, exactly how are you preparing? He said you know, I don't like to talk about that. I said, so what is it, how are you going to make your case? What are you going to do? He goes back to what he says all the time. He threatened about the Clinton relationship as he did last night in his apology. What he said is, "If you want to make America great again, vote for me. If you want four more years of Obama, the failed Obamacare, open borders and horrible trade deals, vote for Hillary."

WHITFIELD: So, Monica, it's extraordinary. In your conversation with him, it sounds like you touched all the bases but it sounds like, based on responses you are giving us from him, that he is, essentially, he's in his own world. He sees this through a different lens. You said, he says people get it, meaning they understand that that behavior, those words demonstrated in the 2005 video tape come with the territory in his world. Am I hearing you right that in your conversation with him about preparations tomorrow, he does not plan -- he doesn't have some plan on how he's going to better address this?

[13:15:36] LANGLEY: You know, we did not get into that specifically. When I said, how are you preparing, are you preparing, and his answer was, yes, I am preparing and studying. He would not offer specifics. His focus is on how Hillary Clinton is four more years of Obama, and went into the main themes that have carried him to win the GOP nomination, Obamacare, open borders, immigration, the horrible trade he would bring jobs. However, he did not say I'm getting into Bill Clinton but he didn't say I am getting into it. He didn't address it. That's something the campaign will be focused on today and tomorrow.

He also mentioned, by the way, he wants to make a speech tonight. He's looking for -- if they can pull it off, he wants to give a speech tonight. He says he's got a lot of support, even though so many of the big Republicans are now -- you know, the establish Republicans are coming out against him. There's an avalanche of them coming out saying they are no longer endorsing him or criticizing him --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Is that like a dress rehearsal? Is he seeing that as a dress rehearsal or that pumps him up with his support so he can feel more mentally fit going into tomorrow's debate?

LANGLEY: I think it's not a dress rehearsal for tomorrow's debate. Tomorrow's debate is a town hall format. It would not be a dress rehearsal for that. It's a way for him to get out positive themes, a different video from what everybody keeps watching. He wants to go out and show people he has support and enthusiastic supporters.

To be honest, in some ways, having all these establishment Republicans come out against him, once again, as they did when he first announced, fires up his base. His base believes that the establishment is what got them where they are. His base, which is largely a lot of, you know, blue collar Americans and people who feel they are worse off than when President Obama came in, they believe he is going to turn it around for them. You know what he said when I said, well, all these Republicans are pulling their support for you. He said, and that's why they don't win presidential elections. He said they don't understand the American people.

And he has been saying this week, I am the underdog. So, the American people are underdogs. Our country is an underdog. I was just talking, you know, to the campaign when I was at the headquarters Friday. I mean, after his very, you know, uneven, let's say, perhaps bad debate performance with Hillary, now he knows he is not in the driver's seat and he has to come back. He is attempting to position himself as a comeback. And clearly, he wants to show that he is on the side of the American people who feel like they want to come back. So, having the establishment come out against him today over this, he's trying to show they've always been against me, and I don't care.

WHITFIELD: OK. Monica Langley of the "Wall Street Journal."

And, of course, your conversation, again, came before this Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate's statement, where Pence says, "As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Trump in the 11-year-old video released, I do not condone the remarks. I am grateful he apologized to the American people. We pray for the family and look forward to the opportunity for him to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night." These are words from his running mate.

Your conversation happened before the release of this statement, correct, Monica?

LANGLEY: A couple hours before this came out.

[13:19:34] WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Monica Langley, of the "Wall Street Journal," thanks so much. Inside your conversation earlier today with Donald Trump.

We are hearing from another prominent Republican Senator calling for Donald Trump to withdraw. We'll talk about that after a short break. We'll be back with more on that from St. Louis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in St. Louis, Missouri, where we understand right now, in New York -- and you are seeing pictures there outside of Trump Tower earlier today -- Rudy Giuliani and Kellyanne Conway going inside Trump Tower, not saying anything. Of course, being littered with a litany of questions from reporters.

Inside, we understand Donald Trump is with his closest advisers there, trying to come up with their plan for the rest of the day in light of that 2005 video that was revealed showing Donald Trump using explicit, offensive language about women. We understand from various sources that Donald Trump wants to appear before a group of supporters this evening, a day ahead of the second presidential debate, to take place on this campus, Washington University, in St. Louis tomorrow.

Our Phil Mattingly is outside Trump Tower.

Phil, besides seeing Rudy Giuliani, Kellyanne Conway enter Trump Tower, have you seen any other activity involving his advisers?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We saw Chris Christie walk in. That's the team. This is the inner circle that's been working with Trump. It's the group that's been closest to him, other than his kids up to the point. They are still with him now.

As so many others are in the midst of a mass exodus. Rudy Giuliani asked i4 Trump should be asked to step down. He shook his head no and smiled and walked in. Other than that, we nobody is answering questions. But we have been talking all day about what is the path forward, what's the next step, how do you deal with this issue? This is the team that is going to deal with this for Donald Trump.

Fred, there's no real, clear answer to what that is. You saw the Mike Pence statement, you saw how many leadership members, so many Republicans are leaving. These are the folks that have to figure it out going forward. That's what they are trying to do now -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK. Anything more about possibly Donald Trump appearing before a group of people, his supporters, this evening, perhaps to either test the waters? We just talked to the "Wall Street Journal" reporter who expressed in a conversation with Donald Trump, that's what he wants to do this evening a day ahead of the debate or the town hall.

[13:25:18] MATTINGLY: There are preparations being made for something. Whether that turns into something, whether it actually happens is still a very open question. Obviously, Donald Trump made clear in the "Wall Street Journal" and "Washington Post" interview that it's something he thinks he needs to do. We need to pay very close attention to the next couple hours, Fred as his advisers get in there. They are trying to map out a path forward.

But one of the biggest problems top advisors had with Donald Trump for the entirety of the campaign and the general election, they have ideas, pathways forward, and road maps. If Donald Trump does not want to pursue those ideas, they don't happen. So clearly, Donald Trump is intrigued by the idea of doing something tonight. Behind the scenes, something is in the works. Whether that actually happens is an open question -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Phil Mattingly, outside Trump Tower, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

Up next, how will Trump's vulgar words play at tomorrow night's debate? We'll discuss after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[13:30:00] WHITFIELD: Hello, again. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, at the site of tomorrow night's presidential debate right here on CNN.

With me outside the debate all is CNN's Manu Raju and Sunlen Serfaty.

We've got a whole lot to talk about. You heard my conversation with Monica at the "Wall Street Journal" -- Langley -- and talked about her conversation with Donald Trump. She picked up the phone and called him. She says he is defiant and positioning for a comeback. She said they did not discuss what he will say during the debate tomorrow, the town hall-style debate tomorrow, but he did want to be in front of an audience this evening, kind of as a prelude to pump up his confidence, the way she put it, Manu.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Defiance is not what Republicans want to hear right now, especially after the crude and insensitive comments that have upended and blown up the campaign.

Let's take a step back. We are witnessing the implosion of the Republican Party ticket in front of our eyes. I mean, Republican after Republican are abandoning Donald Trump over these comments, this leaked video, and Donald Trump is digging in. He's saying to the "Wall Street Journal," "The Washington Post" is firing up my supporters. He's not saying that his apology last night, which was an apology at first, but then became defiant and combative and dismissive. He's not walking away from that at all. He's now suggesting that he's not going to do anything differently. That's not --

(CROSSTALK) WHITFIELD: And the list is long. We are talking Joe Heck, Kelly Ayotte, Carly Fiorina, John Thune.

RAJU: Yeah, that is really significant, John Thune. He is the highest leader in Congress to call on Donald Trump to quit the race. He sent a tweet saying, "The Republican party should nominate Mike Pence and Donald Trump should step aside." Very significant. He's a member of the inner circle, Mitch McConnell's, the majority leaders inner circle, calling on him to quit. It is a very, very significant move. It's gotten a lot of attention today and also shows how much of a liability Republicans see Donald Trump right now. Right now, they are in self-preservation mode. They want to save Congress and they are worried about Donald Trump. They want to get as far away from him as possible.

WHITFIELD: It's interesting you use the word self-preservation, that's the GOP. When you talk to Monica Langley, this is self preservation for Donald Trump. She says he reiterated he is not a quitter. He reminded her that getting to this point was without a lot of GOP support, so why does he need it now?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That was the most fascinating parts of the interview with Monica Langley, who spoke to Trump. He was detached from the reality of what's going on around him, whether it's a public thing saying, no, no, no, I have all the support. Certainly, there is a snowball, an avalanche that is swirling around him. The fact that he would tell her, one, that, you know, American support, people support me. They like who I am. That reminds me of --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: People get it.

SERFATY: Right, people get it. That reminds me of something Trump advisers said early in the campaign, let Trump be Trump, oh, this is just Trump being Trump. It kind of, at this base, seems well, more down the field than let Trump be Trump. This is something that he needs to do more than say this is my personality.

RAJU: In Mike Pence's statement, today so significant. Coming out -- first of all, not appearing in an event in Wisconsin, he was supposed to appear at with the House Speaker Paul Ryan. Showing two things, one, the Republican down ticket like Paul Ryan, trying to save the House majority and Republicans running like Ron Johnson that they want to stay away from the Trump ticket right now. Also, Mike Pence not wanting to be seen in public --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Why would he not want to be there?

RAJU: Not wanting to be defending the comments, the spotlight on him. He said he knows how damaging and troubling these comments are. He wants to stay away from the spotlight today which is why he put out the statement today criticizing the comments Donald Trump made and raising the stakes for tomorrow night.

WHITFIELD: Back to the word self-preservation, is this Mike Pence releasing this statement self-preservation?

RAJU: Possibly, possibly, yes.

WHITFIELD: Not only for the ticket, but himself?

RAJU: If this does not work out, they don't win in November, the Republican Party is going to pick up the pieces, to be leaders figuring out how to move forward. He's going to try to be one of those leaders. People will remember this moment as one of the defining moments of the campaign, if it does not turn out positively for Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: So Donald Trump making it clear with the interview with Monica from the "Wall Street Journal," Monica Langley with the "Wall Street Journal," also in his apology making it clear that "I'll see you Sunday." He's in it, even if he doesn't have the GOP support. But when you have this avalanche -- the best word I can describe -- of, you know, loss of support, the GOP saying, and even Kelly Ayotte saying she is willing to write in Mike Pence. I mean, Donald Trump is saying he's going to go this alone. He can do that at this point, even with just 30 days, or does the GOP have some option to insist that he either, you know, catapult Mike Pence into position. What are the options as it pertains to the GOP, if any?

[13:35:29] SERFATY: They are the very conversations taking place. There are options that are being discussed. That law is kind of vague as to how they would approach this. I think that's exactly what is behind closed doors, Republican leaders are discussing.

But as you mentioned, with each and every Republican coming out saying, no, I'm not going to vote for Donald Trump, I'm going to write in Mike Pence, that is significant.

We are also hearing from leaders within the Republican Party, the former nominee, Mitt Romney, who was out campaigning today in Las Vegas, a candidate locked in a close Senate race there, and he blasted Donald Trump on stage a few minutes ago.

I think we have a cut of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was offended and dismayed by what was said and one by Mr. Trump. I think it's degrading to our women, our daughters, our granddaughters, to future generations. I dearly hope that we will come together as a nation and stand as firmly as we can for the principals that have made us the shining city on a hill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Of course, Mitt Romney was never in Trump's corner. He is one of the most high-profile Never-Trumpers who gave a speech over the summer. It is significant. It is growing chorus and these really damaging words against him that are piling up.

WHITFIELD: It's significant that you have a former Republican presidential candidate not stomping for the nominee, but saying let's pay attention to the down-ballot races.

RAJU: That's what they are worried about. The pressure is on the Republican party leadership to figure out thousand divert resources away from Donald Trump, including the RNC spending millions of dollars on field operations to get voters to the polls to vote for Donald Trump, on ad campaigns. Shift it to House and Senate races. That's what we are hearing from members of the Republican Party leadership on Capitol Hill, saying that's what the focus needs to be right now.

And at that Romney event, Joe Heck, the congressman running for the Nevada seat being vacated by the Democratic leader, Harry Reid, one of the closest races in the country, he had aligned himself with Donald Trump just a few weeks ago. He told me he supports Donald Trump and believes he could trust him with the nuclear codes. Today, revoking that endorsement. This party and this ticket now --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And met by a lot of boos and heckles.

RAJU: Met by a lot of --

(CROSSTALK)

RAJU: That is the real risk about why these candidates have not rescinded their endorsement, yet. There are so many Trump supporters in their states that they need to come to the polls. The party could be in a major civil war heading into November.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

Sunlen, Manu, thank you so much.

We are going to talk more about all of this. Coming up next, a string of top Republicans calling on Donald Trump to withdraw, but how would that work? It involves something called Rule Number Nine. We'll talk more about what the GOP is assessing, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:48] WHITFIELD: Hi. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in St. Louis a day ahead of the presidential debate.

And now adding to the avalanche of the list of people not supporting Donald Trump, former presidential candidate, John Kasich, now saying, "Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support." His statement saying, quote, "Nothing that has happened in the last 48 hours is surprising to me or others. Many people were angry and questioned why I would not endorse Donald Trump or attend the Republican convention. I have long had concerns with Donald Trump that go beyond his temperament. We have policy differences on conservative issues like trade, our relationship with Russia, and the importance of balancing the federal budget. I held out hope he would change on those disqualifying policy position positions, but he has not. I encouraged him to change his behavior for the better and offer a positive inclusive vision for our country, but he has not. It is clear he has not changed and has no interest in doing so. As a result, Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support. The actions of the last day are disgusting. But that's not why I reached this decision. It has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about. I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better."

That coming from former presidential candidate, Governor John Kasich.

Donald Trump has vowed he will remain in the race despite these calls for him to drop out. If he were to quit, there is a way to replace him. That's being considered and evaluated. The RNC is looking at something called the Rule Nine.

CNN's Chris Frates has been digging into what it all means, how it works -- Chris?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. First of all, its' very important to point out we are in uncharted territory. This is unprecedented. And unclear if the Rule Nine, as it's called, could be used this late in the game. Secondly, there's a big "if." If Donald Trump were to drop out, then this rule takes effect. As we have been reporting all morning and afternoon, Trump said in interviews just today he would never drop out. What we are talking about is a long shot.

But if Trump were to step aside, here is what would happen according to the rules as they are written now, which also are important to point out are vague and open to interpretation. Let's go through them. The RNC could hold another convention. That's unlikely. It's impractical, it's big, and it's late in the game. So more likely, members of the Republican National Committee would choose a replacement nominee. This replacement isn't chosen by popular vote. They committee members vote by state. Each state is entitled to the same amount of votes as at the Republican National Convention. New York has 95 votes and three RNC committee members. If all three members agree on a replacement candidate, say, they got behind vice presidential candidate, Mike Pence, he would get all 95 votes. If those three members went to a different candidate, then those 95 votes end up being split. It's vague about how they would be split, but they will be split. This process repeats in every state in the nation. A replacement needs to get a majority to be the nominee.

Again, RNC members telling CNN today this couldn't work because early voting has already started in some states and Donald Trump is on the ballots.

Again, this entire scenario wouldn't be triggered unless Trump drops out, Fred. Right now, he's saying there's zero chance of that -- Fred?

[13:45:44] WHITFIELD: Right. He says he is not a quitter. He is in it to win it.

All right, Chris Frates, thank you so much, in Washington. Appreciate it.

FRATES: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, Donald Trump has said it over and over again he loves and cherishes women. But it sure didn't sound like that on the tape. Can Trump still win with women?

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in St. Louis at Washington University, ahead of the presidential debate tomorrow.

Much more on the big story. Where is the election going? The crowd is excited about what will transpire tomorrow.

All of this now on the heels of that 2005 interview involving Donald Trump where vulgar language was used. Trump has since apologized. But some Republicans are calling him not contrite enough, some are going as far as asking him to step aside. So how will his comments affect the female vote?

[13:50:19] Already there has been an avalanche of GOP leadership who have said they are no longer supporting Donald Trump. That includes Senator John Thune, even former Republican president candidate, John Kasich. The comments that Donald Trump -- this now from Senator John Thune, saying the comments -- Donald Trump --

I'm sorry -- if I could see the tweet up one more time on the screen coming from John Thune. There you go. "Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately."

Even Kelly Ayotte, of New Hampshire, says she's going to write in Mike Pence and she is withdrawing her support for Donald Trump.

And this from Joni Ernst saying, "The comments DJT made are lewd and insulting, there is no excuse and no room from such reprehensible talk about anyone ever."

Also this morning, Michelle Bachmann had this to say about the Trump comments on "New Day."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE BACHMANN, (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): Donald Trump is the nominee and Donald Trump will be the individual who will actually make the average American's life better because he will raise wages, he will create more jobs, and he'll get tough against terrorism, unlike Hillary Clinton. Nothing happens by accident from the Clinton campaign. This was absolutely a planned, premeditated event to drive the conservation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. You're hearing from Michelle Bachmann there. Of course, she's been challenge on that, there being no evidence the Clinton campaign had anything to do with the release of that tape and the reporting that followed.

Joining us now to talk about it, CNN political commentator and Hillary Clinton supporter, Hillary Rosen.

We've got a very excited crowd of college students here at the Washington University campus.

And radio host and Donald Trump supporter, Stay Washington.

Good to see all of you.

Let's talk about this.

Stacy, you first.

How has this impacted your support for Donald Trump?

STACY WASHINGTON, RADIO HOST & DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: It hasn't impacted it at all. Listen, we have this issue, which is we have two candidates, September 1st was the final deadline for any changes to be made. So we have two people on the ballot. I found the comments to be disgusting. They were difficult to listen to. But they're not -- I'm not clutching my pearls right now. Listen, Fredricka, in our culture, we have allowed women to be degraded on a daily basis in hip- hop music, in Hollywood. Turn on the television at any point and time there are naked women. They're dancing to music videos --

WHITFIELD: But running for the president of the United States --

WASHINGTON: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: -- shouldn't there be a different standard?

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: Well, since Bill Clinton, we've seen a steady degradation in what we expect from our public officials. So while I don't agree at all --

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: He's already apologized.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: But Stacy, Donald Trump apologized some something 11 years ago, yet he's not accepting any apologies whatsoever for Donald Trump's behavior -- I mean, for Bill Clinton's behavior 20 years ago. Why is it excusable for Donald Trump?

WASHINGTON: Well, when did Bill Clinton apologize for all of the activities under the resolute desk? When did that happen? (CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: And when was the left so outraged by Bill Clinton? They weren't. They said, just his own private business --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Why is it Bill Clinton relevant --

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: Because --

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: He's running and going to be in the White House with a same set of interns, just a fresh batch. And it's her behavior towards him. Her protection of the women -- she protected her husband. She attacked the women who were assaulted by her husband, the women who had affairs with her husband, she attacked him and she made it OK --

WHITFIELD: That statement but that's been disputed.

But, Hilary, what's your response in this in terms of how this is impacting or changing the dynamics?

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Donald Trump said something that happened 10 years ago shouldn't matter, but something that happened 25 years ago should? His double standard is not going to fly. We have not lowered the level of responsibility of our leaders to this point. We have not doing that as a society. It's not acceptable. It is OK. George Bush wouldn't say it's OK. Barack Obama wouldn't say it is OK.

WASHINGTON: I didn't say it's OK.

ROSEN: I'm talking now.

WASHINGTON: And you were talking when I was talking.

ROSEN: And Barack Obama and George Bush have set a standard. We have an opportunity to elect somebody who has a -- in her personal life, has exceeded that standard. What we're doing is, Bill Clinton is what the Trump people are going to throw around for the next several days about this. Bill Clinton is not on the ballot. Hillary Clinton is.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Stacy, doesn't there have to be more. Donald Trump, tomorrow, this debate will be taking place.

WASHINGTON: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Donald Trump has reiterated today in conversation with the "Wall Street Journal" reporter, as he did last night in his statement, that he's going to be there, that he is not backing down, he's not stepping aside. What does he need to -- what do you believe your candidate needs to address tomorrow so that he doesn't lose support or even potentially can gain support?

[13:55:33] WASHINGTON: Absolutely. There's an opportunity tomorrow night for people who haven't been paying attention up to this point. They're now paying attention because of the story. They'll be looking for who is talking about leadership. I understand this is a salacious story and fun to talk about on CNN --

WHITFIELD: You believe he has to address it further?

WASHINGTON: Oh, no, I don't.

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: He's apologized for what he said 11 years ago. Tomorrow night, he needs to tell them why he should be elected as president of the United States, jobs, the economy, foreign policy, the border, and other things, the black community. He's addressed them directly. He should address them again tomorrow night.

WHITFIELD: So in apologies, don't apologies involve an explanation? It has to be more than the word, I apologize.

ROSEN: Fredricka --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It turned quickly to Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.

WASHINGTON: Sure. So do we hold Hillary to that standard? She said she apologized for misusing the e-mail system. She didn't explain why. She didn't explain how she would have done things differently.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: We've heard lots of explanations.

(CROSSTALK)

WASHINGTON: No, not to my satisfaction.

ROSEN: Well, nothing will be to your satisfaction on that score.

(CROSSTALK)

ROSEN: -- 20 times, maybe 30 times in interviews.

But what Donald Trump did last night in his so-called apology, he said, you know, I'm sorry, I apologize. But then immediately said we're going to talk about Bill Clinton on Sunday night. Now, that's actually not an apology. That's actually not moving forward where the country wants to go. You are going to see Hillary Clinton talk about student debt, talk about why these kids need to be able to get jobs when they graduate college, talking about the environment, and equal page and equal wages.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Will these issues be a distraction?

ROSEN: It already has been a distraction. Donald Trump's week, between not paying taxes and finding a billion dollar loss between his violating the Cuban sanctions, between him trashing for two days a beauty queen, it's all a distraction, because he actually doesn't have a policy or plan. This is his campaign.

WASHINGTON: It's been good for Hillary because he doesn't have good policies going forward to address the issues that I named off earlier I think Donald Trump should talk about.

WHITFIELD: What do you think is good for Hillary?

WASHINGTON: This is great for Hillary. We get to talk about something Donald Trump said 11 years ago, but we're not talking about her e-mails, her taxes, we're not talking about her losses that she took. We're not doing equal coverage and I don't think that fair.

WHITFIELD: Lots of conversations have taken place on all those things you just mentioned.

We'll see what's going to happen tomorrow night, the town hall style debate, the second presidential debate, very important, perhaps more now than ever.

All right, thank you so much, ladies. Appreciate it.

Don't miss the second presidential debate moderated by Anderson Cooper right here on CNN. Special coverage kicking off at 4:00 eastern tomorrow with the two candidates facing off at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

We have so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM right after this.

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