Trump stayed up late last night to do an “apology” video which briskly morphed into an attack on Bill Clinton, who isn’t running for president. (This is, though, one of many reasons I detest this new idea that relatives of former presidents have an inside track to the office. I have never thought it was a good idea for Hillary Clinton to leverage her husband’s stint as president into her shot at it.) I haven’t watched it yet…and don’t look forward to it.

CNN sums up the current state of play.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, saying he was “sickened” by Trump’s comments, announced Friday night that the GOP presidential nominee would no longer attend a Republican event in Wisconsin at which the two were slated to appear on Saturday. Multiple sources told CNN that Trump was asked not to come by Ryan, and one source said the message was delivered via intermediaries.

“Dear Donald – please just stay away. Paul.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus condemned Trump’s remark in a briefly, tersely-worded statement.

“No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” Priebus wrote.

Journalists covering a Toledo, Ohio, campaign stop by Pence were ushered out of a restaurant soon after the story broke. The press was supposed to cover Pence looking at a wall of signed hot dogs, including one by Trump, but were later told they couldn’t record the moment.

Everyone was too busy throwing up to deal with the journalists.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican who recently said he would vote for Trump,called for Trump to drop out of the race.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who over the summer had said he would vote for Trump, withdrew his support Friday night. So did House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican.

Even Terry Gainer, a former US Senate sergeant at arms who rarely makes political comments, emailed CNN to say, “It is not just woman who should shun Trump. Any gentleman, every husband, each father of a daughter, bother of a sister and sons must be outraged.

“How do I explain this to my granddaughters? If only a Republican leader would stand and exhibit a profile in courage.”

And staffers, too.

Reactions from GOP staffers and advisers to Trump ranged from astonished to apoplectic.
A close adviser to Trump told CNN the story is “flat out appalling” and at this point, they can’t even begin to guess whether Trump can come back from this.

“This should have never happened. I wish it had never happened. I think I know that men talk this way sometimes, but it’s nothing I would ever want to hear or condone or approve of,” the adviser said. “My reaction is — it’s appalling. It’s just flat out appalling.”

The adviser also said Trump’s apology does not go far enough.

“Doing anything other than to say it was a grievous error and he apologizes would be a mistake,” the adviser said. “I would take it a step further and own to the words as being offensive — not ‘if.'”

The adviser, clearly exasperated, added: “Another day in Trump world … I hate it.”

So do we, and boy do we not want to live in it for four years.

Of course the staffers and advisers could always quit.