US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has told The Wall Street Journal newspaper there is "zero chance" he will drop out of the presidential race, amid mounting criticism and calls to quit following revelations of indecent comments about women.
Trump said he will "never, ever give up", according to the report published on Saturday, ahead of a statement from his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence, declaring that he can "not condone his remarks and cannot defend them".
Pence said: "As a husband and a father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released yesterday. I am grateful that he has expressed remorse and apologised to the American people."
Trump's wife, Melania, also weighed in on the controversy, saying her husband's remarks were "unacceptable and offensive", but added that she had accepted his apology. She also appealed to voters to accept Trump's apology.
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On Saturday afternoon, Arizona Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for president, announced he has withdrawn his support for Trump, saying "it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy". He said he and his wife, Cindy, will not be voting for Trump.
Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president, had earlier condemned the "vile degradations" expressed by Trump. Romney had refused to support Trump as candidate and nominee.
Both McCain and Romney stopped short of calling for Trump's withdrawal from the election.
Other Republican party members, meanwhile, were adamant that Trump leave the race altogether, with Carly Fiorina, an opponent during the primary, urging him to "step aside" and for the party "to replace him with [Governor] Mike Pence."
Republican Senator Mike Lee of the US state of Utah also urged Trump to quit the race, as has a growing list of members of Congress and other elected officials.
Another senator, Mike Crapo of Idaho, also joined in the chorus of calls for Trump to quit: "This is not a decision that I have reached lightly, but his pattern of behaviour left me no choice."
Meanwhile, Republican Senators Mark Kirk and John Thune took to social media urging Trump to withdraw from the race.
