Hillary Clinton’s assertion that half of Donald Trump’s supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables” is not something for which she needs to apologize, her Democratic running mate, Sen.
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Clinton’s comments-made Friday at an LGBT for Hillary fundraiser-were swiftly condemned by Republicans, who faulted Clinton for insulting millions of Trump supporters.
“You know, just to be grossly generalist, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables”, Clinton said at a fundraiser in New York City.
Subsequently, in a statement, the Republican nominee called Clinton’s remarks “the worst mistake of the political season” and accused her of “showing bigotry and hatred for millions of Americans”.
In a Saturday speech to the Values Voters Summit of social conservative activists in Washington DC, which Trump addressed on Friday, Mike Pence condemned Clinton.
Clinton is not seeking the support of the people she smeared, voters who believe in Trump’s proposals such as banning Muslims from entering the nation or building an enormous border wall and making Mexico pay for it.
“But Hillary’s comments in full did make clear there are a lot of Trump supporters who have concerns about the economy and other issues that we will definitely need to be responsive to if we get the opportunity to govern”, Kaine said.
At the rally, Trump said that the only thing Clinton has done well is keeping herself out of trouble.
The remarks were met with laughter from the crowd at the LGBT for Hillary Gala, where Ms Clinton went on to describe said “deplorables” as “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic. unfortunately there are people like that. I regret saying “half” – that was wrong”, she said in the statement. “Now, some of those folks – they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America”.
“The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for [the alt-right]… which has effectively taken over the Republican Party”, she said.
Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” is an extension of a tendency by some liberals to demonize conservative thought, which has had the outcome of pushing many American moderates into Trump’s corner. In fact, on Thursday night Clinton criticized Trump for his “conspiracy theories like the lie that President Obama is not a true American”. “They are Americans and they deserve your respect”.
The comment was reminiscent of Mr. Trump’s January description of the loyalty of his supporters.
Trump added: “How can she be president of our country when she has such contempt and disdain for so many great Americans?”
Clinton’s remarks were quickly compared to Mitt Romney’s infamous “47-percent” gaffe from his 2012 campaign, when he was secretly recorded during a fundraiser saying almost half of Americans “depend on the government” and will vote for Obama.
On Saturday, Clinton’s staff said she attended another fundraiser at the Armonk, New York home of attorney David Boies.
Typical Hillary shill. The Reuters poll he links to clearly shows that less than half of Trump’s supporters are deplorable.
But the moment recalled comments about voters – also at private fundraisers – that have tripped up presidential nominees in the past.
But Mr. Trump noted that Schlafly rooted for the underdog, and “the idea that so-called little people, or the little person that she loved so much, could beat the system often times, the rigged system”.
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The Republican presidential nominee earned a standing ovation before and after his brief remarks.
