Sunday night’s second presidential debate will open with questions focused on the vulgar comments Donald Trump made about women in 2005, according to CNN.
Hillary Clinton will get the first question in the debate, set to be co-hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, the report says. A Commission on Presidential Debates coin toss determined which nominee would speak first.
CNN reported Sunday morning that sources said Cooper and Raddatz changed their debate plan in the wake of the bombshell 2005 Trump tape the Washington Post published Friday. In the tape, a hot microphone catches Trump discussing women in crude terms.
As CNN’s report cautioned, all plans are tentative until the debate starts, however, an ABC source told CNN that both candidates will be given an opportunity to speak about the Trump footage.
Since the release of the tape at least 25 Republican lawmakers have called on Trump to leave the race. Meanwhile, Trump is adamantly refusing to step aside, tweeting Saturday, “The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly – I WILL NEVER DROP OUT OF THE RACE, WILL NEVER LET MY SUPPORTERS DOWN! #MAGA.” (RELATED: Here Are The Republicans Calling On Trump To Withdraw)
Sunday morning, a Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted after the release of Trump’s vulgar comments found that a majority of Republican voters want the GOP to continue to support the nominee. According to the poll, 74 percent of Republicans surveyed said they thing the party should continue to support Trump. Just 13 percent said the party should ditch him. (RELATED: Poll: Majority Of Republican Voters Want Party To Support Trump)