In October 2016, when The Washington Post first published Donald Trump’s “Access Hollywood” video, the outrage was swift and acute. Eight years later, on the eve of another potential Trump election win, some young voters are watching the video for the first time, experiencing the same shock at hearing those words — and incredulity that Trump was elected in spite of it.
On TikTok, multiple creators have shared audio or video of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women during his infamous 2005 hot mic moment with “Access Hollywood” co-host Billy Bush. A 22-year-old creator who spoke to Teen Vogue said she recently shared the audio of Trump’s comments in case some hadn’t heard “in the full extent of just how depraved it is.” Some commenters on these TikTok posts point out that it was their first time hearing those remarks; an 18-year-old voter today would have been 10 when the video was published.
At the time, it was largely believed that it would sink the Trump campaign — or at least greatly diminish his chances of winning. Trump apologized for his comments, calling them “locker room banter,” but the damage was done. Republican officials came out in droves to condemn his remarks, and many rescinded their endorsement of him and called for his withdrawal from the race.
Still, Trump went on to win the election.
The video was a litmus test for how loyal of Trump someone was, his former adviser Steve Bannon told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in 2017. “People didn’t care. They knew Donald Trump was just doing locker room talk with a guy. And they dismissed it. It had no lasting impact on the campaign.”
The video has nevertheless occasionally haunted Trump. It was included as evidence in the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial last year, and, in his deposition, Trump appeared to back his own comments, telling Carroll’s attorneys that it’s “largely true” when asked if he believed stars can “grab women by the p—-.” “Well, that’s what — if you look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately,” Trump said. The Republican nominee has been trying to appeal to undecided women voters in recent weeks, hoping that his poor record on women’s rights and the dozens of sexual misconduct allegations against him (all of which he has denied) don’t factor into their decisions. Eight years after the “Access Hollywood” video was made public, Trump’s comments remain as appalling as ever. And it’s likely that young voters reviled by the video may have already made up their minds about him. Whether or not its re-emergence has an impact on how people will vote, it’s a reminder of the person that Trump is.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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