It was around this time of the year in 2016 that a clip of Donald Trump telling TV host Billy Bush to “grab them by the pussy” went viral just ahead of the presidential election. Back then, it wasn’t enough to cost him the race — but now, with Gen Z going to the polls, it could finally sink his ship as a candidate.
Many Gen Z voters were too young in 2016 to fully grasp or process Trump’s misogynistic comments, and as Trump took on the presidency, Americans had bigger things to worry about than that Access Hollywood clip. But with the infamous audio now making the rounds on TikTok, it’s re-entering the public consciousness.
The Washington Post reported on the trend, finding several Gen Zers who had never heard the clip prior to this election cycle. One Gen Zer, 21-year-old Kate Sullivan, said she heard it for the first time on TikTok this week.
“I don’t think any of my friends had heard it,” Sullivan told the Washington Post. “We all felt equally shocked.”
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That led Sullivan to make her own video using the audio, complete with the caption, “Fathers are voting for this man.” Her video has garnered 2.6 million views and 480,000 likes, along with a repost from pop superstar Billie Eilish.
“I just recently got into politics,” Sullivan continued. “The fact that people knew about this, and he still won, is pretty wild to me.”
Sullivan’s video is far from the only viral TikTok reusing the sound, spreading it across TikTok to let young voters see Trump’s vile comments for themselves. According to Pew Research, 39% of adults aged 29 and under get their news from TikTok. The platform’s trending sounds could have a genuine impact on America’s youngest voters — and it could spell disaster for Trump.
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