After a video of Trump making vulgar comments about women surfaced Friday, Republicans such as US Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois urged Trump to remove himself from the race. The 2005 video showed Trump, then a reality TV star speaking on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. In 1972, Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern's running mate, Thomas Eagleton, was replaced after it was revealed that the vice presidential hopeful had been hospitalized for depression. Republican party rules do not include a mechanism to involuntarily remove from the ticket a presidential candidate who has already been nominated. Republican leaders could try to pressure Trump into resigning by withdrawing financial support for his campaign and withholding logistical help.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 09, 2016 19:41 UTC