On Oct. 7, 2024, the Republican Voters Against Trump TikTok account posted a video of the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape in which former President Donald Trump boasted that he could “grab women by the p*ssy.” It was the eighth anniversary of the tapes’ release and it kicked off a TikTok trend among Gen Z women, particularly among those who have newly come of voting age.
The premise of the TikTok trend is simple: young women—many of whom were too young to politically engage eight years ago—are filming their reactions to the audio.
What did Trump say in the Hollywood Access tapes?
The “October Surprise” tape, released before the 2016 presidential election, was recorded in 1995 on a bus headed to the set of Days of Our Lives. On the tape, Trump boasts about his tactics as a sexual predator to Billy Bush and an unidentified man. Both cackle along to the story as he speaks.
“I did try and f*ck her,” he says. “She was married.”
@accountablegop Eight years ago today, the Access Hollywood tapes exposed the predatory and violent way that Donald Trump treats women. #republicanvotersagainsttrump #RVAT #Republican #nevertrump #trump #politics #political #Washington #politicaltiktok #foryou #fyp #2024 #2024election #AccessHollywoodtapes ♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
“And I moved on her very heavily in fact. I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture. I took her out furniture. I moved on her like a b*tch, but I couldn’t get there, and she was married.”
“I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. 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. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p*ssy. You can do anything.”
Why are women reacting to Trump’s comments on TikTok?
Filming reaction videos to shocking or disgusting content is a time-honored internet tradition. In this case, the reaction videos are more about allowing the viewer to see the pain Trump’s words and actions cause women.
@toxicthotsyndrome @miss redacted✨🪩🩷🇵🇸 ♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
While Trump “apologized” for “causing offense,” in some ways, his remarks on this tape were more disgusting than his policies. Watching the young TikTok users who are hearing it for the first time is particularly heartbreaking to those of us who already made those same faces eight years ago.
Reactions to Trump’s Hollywood Access tape among Gen Z
In addition to expressing shock and horror at Trump’s comments, women have filmed themselves tearing up to hearing it again or just sitting there with an unfocused, far-away look. Some find it incomprehensible that anyone voted for him in the first place after hearing those words.
@savray91 Let’s not forget I almost died from an ectopic pregnancy when I was 22, thank god roe v wade was still a thing back then. #kamalaharris2024🇺🇸💙 #wearenevergoingback #dumptrump #trumpisadisgrace #voteblue #pnw ♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
“When your father who has 6 daughters and 4 granddaughters who is also a men’s pastor is voting for this man again,” reads one video caption. “It’s honestly a slap in our face.”
More women reacting to Trump’s comments
@itss.sav2 Then at the end is so casual as if he didnt just say nasty things…pathetic.
♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
@jules_is_ok How did it ever go beyond this moment??
♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
@leafyisleft How is this man a Christian #christian #christiantiktok #trump #kamala #Harris ♬ original sound – RepublicanVotersAgainstTrump
Related trends:
- From cooking to ‘extra’ reaction videos, TikToker Tati Mitch discusses the challenges of staying on top of trends
- Logan Paul reaction videos obscure any real dialogue about suicide
- ‘One is happy and joyous and one is bitter and judgmental’: This pancake reaction TikTok is bizarrely controversial
- ‘You sure about that?: Why CapCut Tim Robinson is all over TikTok
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