COLONIE, N.Y. — Blasting various news media outlets and Democrats alike, an exuberant room of women rallied for Donald Trump on Wednesday at the Desmond Hotel near Albany.
The event, called "Women for Trump," was organized weeks before a video leaked last Friday, showing Trump making disparaging and sexist comments about women. Female supporters gathered to shrug off the controversy and affirm their belief that Trump can win New York State in the presidential election.
"It's old news. Gone. Done. Move on," said Sandra King, a rally co-chair and the Republican Committee chairwoman for Yates County.
"This is the real world," King continued. "[The leaked video] is a distraction from the news. It's a distraction from all the things that are going on in this country."
Wednesday's rally was attended by Wendy Long, the Republican challenger to Chuck Schumer's re-election bid, as well as Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. Both women dismissed the video controversy.
"No, we don't like the comments that Mr. Trump made 11 years ago," Long told the room. "But you know what I really loved?His very sincere apology."
"It's an 11-year-old tape. This is is not the man that I know," said Lara Trump during an interview. "It's unfortunate that it keeps getting brought up."
Supporters signaled a distrust of recent polls that have shown Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Trump by 21 percentage points among likely New York voters. Repeatedly, speakers implored the crowd to agree that Trump could still win in New York on Election Day.