Billy Bush penned a sobering op-ed published in the New York Times Sunday night, in which the former “Access Hollywood” host said he believed the women accusing President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
He also slammed the president for engaging in “revisionist history” after reports indicated that Trump has been questioning the authenticity of the “Access Hollywood” tape in recent months. The tape, which features Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, derailed Bush’s career but had no bearing on Trump being elected president.
“He said it,” Bush wrote. ”‘Grab ’em by the pussy.’ Of course he said it.”
Bush added that he recently went back to an October 2016 article that detailed the personal accounts of 20 women accusing Trump of sexual harassment and misconduct, including groping, unwanted advances and kissing them without their permission.
NBC fired Bush due to his involvement in the crass recording. America went on to elect Trump president. (Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“To these women: I will never know the fear you felt or the frustration of being summarily dismissed and called a liar, but I do know a lot about the anguish of being inexorably linked to Donald Trump,” he wrote. “You have my respect and admiration. You are culture warriors at the forefront of necessary change.”
Bush, the nephew of former President George H.W. Bush and cousin of former President George W. Bush, was suspended and then fired in October 2016 after the Washington Post published the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape that showed the former NBC star ingratiating Trump as he bragged about sexually assaulting women.
He left with a severance package worth millions and took several months off. In May, Bush said he had plans to return to TV. He will appear on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night.
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Risa
"President-elect Donald Trump's victory represents the justification of sexism and institutionalized rape culture by millions of Americans. As a survivor, I am passionate about protecting human rights for all people, and I stand in solidarity with and fight for those negatively affected under the Trump administration."
Cassie
"The results of this election and [Donald Trump's] entire campaign left me feeling devastated and betrayed. It hurts, and I spent most of the following days on an emotional rollercoaster of pain that took a toll on my mental health. It’s different for a survivor, and it’s hard to explain to others what it feels like. We try so hard to get to a place where we can become activists and disrupt rape culture, but when a presidential candidate is accused of rape and was still even being considered for president shows just how strong rape culture is in our society."
Jennifer
"Having a sexual predator [elected to the highest] office has, at the very least, made me uncomfortable. I've become uncomfortable to a greater extent with the rape culture that we live in."
Jacqueline
"Having an accused sexual predator as a president instills more fear in me than I ever thought I was ever capable of feeling. I feel that it may be perceived by some individuals as having the right to assault another person without any thought of the consequences because it is the kind of example our leader has set for us."
Sarah
"While the physical pain [my rapist] inflicted on me was unforgivable, the true emotional toll was the silence of my colleagues, the silence of my family, and the silence of my friends."
Alexis
"As a survivor, when I heard that Donald Trump won the election I felt that my country betrayed me. Electing an accused sexual predator to be the leader and image of our country means supporting rape culture. It means that there are a lot of people in this nation that don’t support victims and survivors of gender based violence, and that’s not OK."
Megan
As a survivor of domestic abuse, seeing another woman’s abuser as the leader of our country is discouraging. I can see how Trump makes many survivors feel silenced. However, the election has motivated me to speak even louder to stand with fellow survivors of gender-based violence and never stop fighting for the prevention of these kinds of abuse.
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!["The results of this election and [Donald Trump's] entire campaign left me feeling devastated and betrayed. It hurts, and I spent most of the following days on an emotional rollercoaster of pain that took a toll on my mental health. It’s different for a survivor, and it’s hard to explain to others what it feels like. We try so hard to get to a place where we can become activists and disrupt rape culture, but when a presidential candidate is accused of rape and was still even being considered for president shows just how strong rape culture is in our society."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.MUZYtA1eW4WKv_dVOs_Cg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/583c6fc51800009314310391.jpg)
!["Having a sexual predator [elected to the highest] office has, at the very least, made me uncomfortable. I've become uncomfortable to a greater extent with the rape culture that we live in."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VkbFF4C1IwjmnQy6J_HlPA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/583c6fc71800007b14310392.jpg)
!["While the physical pain [my rapist] inflicted on me was unforgivable, the true emotional toll was the silence of my colleagues, the silence of my family, and the silence of my friends."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jUwdkXDtXIJBE8jBxvYDIw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/583c6fc51700002500e7c989.jpg)
