In recent weeks, several reports have revealed that Donald Trump has been telling his aides and select members of congress that it wasn't actually his voice on the now infamous "Access Hollywood" tape. In response, the man who was next to the president when he allegedly made the controversial remarks has decided to speak out.
Billy Bush on Trump
With one month remaining before voters made their way to the polls last year on Election Day, Donald Trump was hit with an October surprise in the form of an audio tape that was recorded prior to an interview with "Access Hollywood" back in 2005.
On the tape, Trump could be heard speaking to then host Billy Bush on a bus where he bragged about being able to use his fame and fortune to touch women as he pleased, stating, "When you're famous, they let you do it. Grab 'em by the pu**y." The tape quickly dominated the news cycle, resulting in a rare public apology by Trump, which was done on national TV. Over the next four weeks, a dozen women came forward to accuse the former host of "The Apprentice" of sexual assault and harassment, putting further pressure on his campaign. Despite this, Trump was able to weather the storm and pulled off the shocking upset over Hillary Clinton, which has since been marred by allegations of possible collusion with Russia.
Fast forward to present day and Trump has been privately telling people that the "Access Hollywood" tape was a fake and that it wasn't his voice on the recording. As seen in an op-ed during the December 3 edition of the New York Times, Bush has come out to correct the record.
Op-Ed Contributor: Billy Bush: Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That https://t.co/T1RB2jlIEe
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 4, 2017
"He said it," Billy Bush writes to start off his New York Times op-ed, in reference to the comments made on the "Access Hollywood" tape.
"Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from America's highest-rated bloviator," Bush continued.
President Trump has questioned the authenticity of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which he bragged about being able to grope women, despite the fact he immediately apologized when the video surfaced https://t.co/d72OVKIuxX pic.twitter.com/jfjw97ATUu
— CNN (@CNN) December 3, 2017
Billy Bush went on to detail his regret, explaining that, along with the others with him at the time, "were guilty of sacrificing a bit of ourselves in the name of success." Bush expressed heartfelt remorse for those who have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault ans harassment, referring to them as "culture warriors" during a time of need.
Bush went on to note that his public op-ed was about "reckoning and reawakening," while concluding that he hopes it reaches every one of the men who were on the bus with Trump that day.
Moving forward
With Billy Bush coming out to finally tell his side of the story about what took place during his conversation with Donald Trump, only time will tell if the president decides to respond. In recent days, the commander in chief has expressed his frustration over a variety of issues on social media, and it's expected that he could do so with Bush in the near future.
