Trump supporters have taken his infamous 2005 Access Hollywood comments that nearly torpedoed his 2016 presidential bid and turned them into a campaign slogan for his 2024 run.
In 2016, former President Donald Trump was forced to respond to offensive comments that he’d made about women after the Washington Post obtained a tape of him saying on a hot mic that because he’s a star, women will let him do anything to them.
“Grab them by the pussy,” Trump said in the tape. “You can do anything.”
His comments were deemed misogynistic and he was accused of glorifying sexual violence. And amid his upstart campaign for president, Trump faced immense backlash and issued an apology.
“Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am,” Trump said in response. “I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.”
The moment marked perhaps the only time Trump issued an apology for statements he made while campaigning for president.
While the moment was one a lot of Trump supporters would like to pigeonhole or ignore, som, are attempting to reclaim the comments, peddling “Grab 2024 By The Pussy” as a new campaign slogan.
First uttered on X in 2021, “Grab 2024 By The Pussy” has only been tweeted a handful of times. It was spotlighted in a 2023 post from StarrAngel57, a MAGA influencer with almost 100,000 followers on X.
She shared a photo of a woman wearing the statement on a tank top, which she says she found on Etsy, receiving praise in response. (No such item appears to exist on Etsy now.)
But the phrase seems to have taken off on e-commerce shops.
The Daily Dot found that “Grab 2024 By The Pussy” T-shirts are being sold on over 50 apparel websites.
The shirt can be found on sites like OraTee, SenPrints, US Premium Gift, and Pictures Tees, among many others.
StarrAngel57’s username is listed as part of the title on at least one, too: Limo Fashion’s “Grab 2024 by the pussy” merchandise calls the item “Official Starrangel57 Grab 2024 By The Pussy Shirt.”
There is also a flag with the slogan on it for sale, too, which is described as “a great ironic political statement” by its seller on Bluecat Store, an online print-on-demand service, although the text pushing it appears to be SEO junk language.
“It represents a massive bathroom and the prevalence of fear in our country,” the seller wrote in the flag’s description. “Grab 2024 by the Pussy Lets Go Brandon Fuck Joe Biden Trump Flag is a perfect gift for your friends or family who enjoy political satire and comedy. This flag is sure to make anyone laugh.”
So while Trump in 2016 tried to downplay his “grab them by the pussy” comments when they were exposed, as 2024 approaches, some supporters appear more unrepentant than ever.
