The New Mexico Republican Party opened up about the statements made by Donald Trump in 2005 where he said he kissed women without their permission and bragged that he groped women.
The state party is standing by Trump despite the controversial comments that have caused dozens of Republican elected officials to renounce their support and say they would not vote for the Republican party’s presidential nominee.
“The Republican Party of New Mexico certainly does not condone the language used nor the actions described in the video of Mr. Trump released on Friday, however we believe Mr. Trump to be a different man than that today and that he is the better choice for president,” state party chair Debbie Maestas said in the Sunday night statement.
The statement mainly focused on Trump’s performance in the debate, which Maestas said was “resilient” and “what his campaign needed.”
The state GOP is at odds with Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, who reiterated this weekend that she would not support Trump.
“What Trump brags about is appalling and completely unacceptable,” Martinez said in a statement to media Saturday. “No woman should ever be treated the way he claims he treated women. Unfortunately, there is a pattern of disturbing conduct and offensive rhetoric that raises serious questions about his fitness to be President. That is why I have withheld my support from the very beginning, and will not support him now.”
“I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump said in the video, originally released by the Washington Post. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”
“Grab them by the pussy,” Trump says later in the video. “You can do anything.”
Last month, the state party announced that Phil Archuletta would join Trump’s National Hispanic Advisory Council. Archuletta is the RPNM’s second vice-chair and has been a delegate to the Republican National Convention every cycle since 1984.