GOP strategists said on Wednesday that the angst in the party could exacerbate in the coming weeks if stock markets are throttled by Trump cutting off talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on a broader stimulus bill and if the pandemic’s toll worsens as temperatures drop across the nation and people move indoors…

One senior GOP official close to Trump, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, compared this crossroads to when the “Access Hollywood” story broke in October 2016 and many Republicans distanced themselves from Trump, who on tape had bragged in vulgar terms about groping women.

“The situation is getting worse and worse,” the senior official said. “This is like ‘Access Hollywood’ because we’re all seeing terrible poll numbers. We didn’t think it’d be this bad at this point. Everyone is wondering where the bottom is, and they’re figuring out what they need to do.”