Trump vows to stay in race after lewd remarks surface

With his campaign in crisis, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed on Oct. 8 to stay in the race despite calls from more than two dozen prominent Republicans for him to drop out following the release of a recording of him making lewd comments about women.

Both Trump's wife and his running mate criticized his words, saying they were insulting and indefensible. 

"The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly -  I WILL NEVER DROP OUT OF THE RACE, WILL NEVER LET MY SUPPORTERS DOWN!" Trump wrote on Oct. 8 afternoon on the social media website Twitter. 

The video was the latest calamity for Trump, who had hoped to revive his flagging campaign in the face of a recent drop in polls with less than a month until Election Day. 

Trump is due to appear alongside Democrat Hillary Clinton on Sunday in their second debate in the runup to the general election. Clinton is not expected to address Trump's video before then. 

The 2005 video of Trump talking on an open microphone showed the then-reality TV star speaking about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. The video was taped only months after Trump married his third wife, Melania. 

In a statement, Melania Trump called her husband's words "unacceptable and offensive to me." 

"This does not represent the man that I know," she said. "He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world." 

The backlash over the video was swift and widespread. 

More than 60 prominent Republican current and former officeholders issued statements condemning Trump's remarks about women, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and John McCain,...