People are posting actual 'locker room banter' after the Trump tapes

There have been several moments in the US presidential campaign where critics have suggested Donald Trump may have doomed himself, but his most recent controversy may prove to be the final nail in the coffin.

The emergence of a tape in which the Republican candidate is heard making lewd comments about women has caused uproar in the US.

In the recording of a conversation with Billy Bush, which was made 13 years ago, Trump describes being rejected after pursuing a married woman, and bragging that he could "do anything" with other women.

Since the tape emerged, the Trump campaign issued a statement over his comments where he referred to the conversation as "locker room banter - a private conversation that took place many years ago".

The term "locker room banter" is often used with the intention to try and dismiss potentially offensive or lewd comments as harmless.

However several athletes and journalists have noted that their own experiences of locker room conversation bear little similarity to the one between Trump and Bush:

Several Republican candidates have been quick to condemn Donald Trump for the comments he made in the tape.

Mike Gallagher, Republican candidate in Wisconsin's 8th district, said in a statement: "I denounce Donald Trump's disgusting and offensive comments and strongly echo the sentiments of my mother, sister, niece and all women who deserve to be treated with our utmost respect."

Illinois senator Mark Kirk, a Republican who withdrew his support for Trump in June, called for the nominee to quit and urged the party to "engage rules for [an] emergency replacement".

Utah's Republican Governor Gary Herbert said he could no longer vote for Trump following the release of the tape, while Jeb Bush said in a tweet: "As the grandfather of two previous girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump's reprehensible comments degrading women."

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