Trump himself tweeted: “Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of unbelievable, hard-working people”. Trump called Clinton’s statement “disgraceful”, and a “grotesque attack on American voters”. In the “basket of deplorables” she put “racists, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic” voters.
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“They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different”, Clinton said.
“It s deplorable that he s attacked a federal judge for his Mexican heritage, bullied a Gold Star family due to their Muslim faith, and promoted the lie that our first black president is not a true American”, she said.
She later added, “Hillary, placing people in ‘baskets, ‘ slandering them but admitting after 8 yrs, they are “desperate for change”. If it’s forty-nine percent, it’s a parsing that represents little difference from one half.
Clinton has not let the media into many private fundraisers, but press was allowed in to hear her remarks Friday.
“To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the “basket of deplorables”, Clinton said.
Clinton made her comments at an LGBT fundraiser in NY late Friday, adding that Trump supporters are “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic – you name it”.
Meanwhile, Trump late Friday said that if Iranians circle USA boats and “make gestures at our people that they shouldn’t be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water”.
The tweet was in response to a speech Clinton gave that day in which she made a similar criticism about him, saying he “built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia” and “is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters”.
“Last night I was “grossly generalistic, ‘ and that’s never a good idea”, the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement Saturday”.
According to CNN, Clinton made a statement on Saturday expressing regret at calling “half” of Trump’s supporters deplorable.
While Clinton was greeted with laugher and applause at the event, which featured a performance by Barbra Streisand, Republicans saw an opportunity to stir up more resentment towards Clinton.
At the fundraiser, Clinton bemoaned the people she described as “deplorables”, saying “unfortunately there are people like that”.
Nick Merrill, Clinton’s campaign spokesman, wrote on Twitter that she was referring to the alt-right supporters.
The Trump campaign wasted no time using Clinton’s words against her.
It’s deplorable that he’s attacked a federal judge for his ‘Mexican heritage, ‘ bullied a Gold Star family due to their Muslim faith, and promoted the lie that our first black president is not a true American.
“I have no problem pointing out the fact that Donald Trump and his campaign is drawing on some of the worst impulses, whether it’s racism or whatnot, that this country has ever seen”, Manley said. “I regret saying “half” – that was wrong”, she said.
“Hillary, they are not a basket of anything, they are Americans, and they deserve your respect”, Pence said in an address to the Values Voters Summit in Washington.
“I m determined to bring our country together and make our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top”, she said. “Because we really are ‘stronger together'”.
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Twitter user Basketeer Vendetta, under the account Vendetta92429, tweeted a photo of Trump supporters wearing campaign T-shirts and hats, adding: “Proud to be part of the #BasketOfDeplorables with my fellow Americans”.
