Under-fire Hillary now says she REGRETS describing Trump supporters as a 'basket of deplorables': Clinton backtracks on 'insulting' comments as Pence and Donald attack her for 'disrespecting millions of voters'
Hillary Clinton made comments during a fundraiser on Friday in New YorkShe said that half of his supporters were 'deplorables' and did not represent AmericaShe said the other basket of his supporters constituted individuals desperate for change who felt let down by the governmentBut on Saturday she said she regrets half her comments saying she was 'grossly generalistic' in her remarksTrump this morning hit back at her on Twitter saying: 'Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING... I think it will cost her at the Polls!'Trump's son Eric and running mate Mike Pence also fired back at Clinton
By REUTERS and MICHELLE CURRAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 23:37 EST, 9 September 2016 | UPDATED: 14:00 EST, 10 September 2016
Hillary Clinton says she regrets describing rival Donald Trump supporters as a 'basket of deplorables'.
In a statement Saturday, Clinton said that, 'many of Trump's supporters are hard-working Americans who just don't feel like the economy or our political system are working for them'.
The democratic presidential candidate said she was 'grossly generalistic' in her remarks at the LGBT fundraiser in New York Friday where she said that half Trump's supporters are racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, or Islamophobic and belonged in a 'basket of deplorables', she added in the statement, 'that's never a good idea'.
But she said she regrets only half of her remarks, emphasizing that it is 'really deplorable' that Trump is affiliated with people from the right-winged 'alt-right movement,' and that 'David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values'.
With her statement she tweeted: 'I won't stop calling out bigotry and racist rhetoric in this campaign.'
+12
Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during he LGBT for Hillary Gala at Cipriani Club on September 9 in New York City
+12
Clinton shared a statement on Twitter on Saturday afternoon saying But she regrets half of her remark
+12
Trump is pictured speaking during his rally at the Pensacola Bay Center on Friday in Pensacola, Florida
Clinton bashes Trump's 'basketful of deplorables' supporters
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
Mute
Current Time0:00
/
Duration Time2:04
Fullscreen
Need Text
The Republican presidential nominee today hit back at her on Twitter tweeting: 'Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard working people. I think it will cost her at the Polls!'
And he later added: 'While Hillary said horrible things about my supporters, and while many of her supporters will never vote for me, I still respect them all!'
Trump's family, friends and supporters were also quick to jump to his defense.
Trump fired back on Twitter at Hillary saying 'Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters' and said 'horrible things'
His running mate Mike Pence said Saturday at the Values Voters Summit in Washington that Clinton's comments should be 'denounced in the strongest possible terms'.
He said that Trump supporters are 'not a basket of anything', adding, they are 'members of every class of this country who know that we can make America great again'.
+12
Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks to the Value Voters Summit in Washington, Saturday. He said that Trump supporters are 'not a basket of anything'
Pence calls Clinton's 'basket of deplorables' comment disrepectful
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
Mute
Current Time0:00
/
Duration Time1:23
Fullscreen
Need Text
Pence said, 'the men and women who support Donald Trump's campaign are hard-working Americans: Farms, coal miners, teachers, veterans, members of our law enforcement community'.
And his son Eric Trump also took to Twitter writing: 'Look at the #BasketOfDeplorables in Pensacola Florida last night! What a horrible statement. #CrookedHillary'.
However Mark Cuban, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, was quick to point out that the photo he shared of the tweet was actually an old snap taken in Dallas.
+12
Eric Trump rushed to his father's defense tweeting 'what a horrible statement'
However Mark Cuban was quick to point out that Eric Trump had used an old photo which was actually taken in Dallas not Florida as he stated
Clinton's comments also drew a rebuke from Kellyanne Conway, the campaign manager of the Republican nominee, who said in a message on Twitter that Clinton had insulted millions of Americans.
Trump senior communications adviser Jason Miller added in a statement: 'What's truly deplorable isn't just that Hillary Clinton made an inexcusable mistake in front of wealthy donors and reporters happened to be around to catch it, it's that Clinton revealed just how little she thinks of the hard-working men and women of America.'
+12
Clinton's comments drew a rebuke from Kellyanne Conway, pictured above, the campaign manager of the Republican nominee
Conway slammed Clinton on Twitter saying that she had insulted millions of Americans and used the hashtag #desperate
Clinton went on to say in Friday's speech that some of those people were irredeemable, but they did not represent America.
The other basket of Trump's supporters constituted individuals desperate for change who felt let down by the government and the economy, Clinton added.
'They don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different,' Clinton said.
'Those are people we have to understand and empathize with, as well.'
She encouraged supporters to 'stage an intervention' if they have friends considering voting for the Republican nominee.
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill also took to Twitter to hit back at the Trump campaign's comments
And Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill also weighed into the debate noting a previous speech in which she accused Trump of embracing a brand of U.S. political conservatism associated with white nationalism and nativism known as the 'alt right' movement.
'Obviously not everyone supporting Trump is part of the alt right, but alt right leaders are with Trump,' Merrill said on Twitter.
'And their supporters appear to make up half his crowd, when you observe the tone of his events.'
RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next
 Mike Pence releases tax returns showing that he made...  'I lost my husband there. I'm disgusted': Outrage over...
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Share
+12
Tom Lehane, left, a Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump supporter, has a disagreement with Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton supporter Hila Minshen prior to a Trump rally at the Pensacola Bay Center in Florida on Friday
+12
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wait for his arrival to a rally, Friday, in Pensacola, Florida
+12
A young girl waves pom pons in the crowd as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida, Friday
+12
Bikers for Trump! Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump listen as he speaks at a campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida, Friday
Many of Clinton's fundraisers have been closed to the media, but her Friday remarks, preceding a performance by singer Barbra Streisand, were open to journalists.
Streisand performed a version of the Stephen Sondheim song 'Send in the Clowns' that parodied the New York businessman, referring to the real estate mogul as a 'sad, vulgar clown'.
+12
Streisand performed a version of the Stephen Sondheim song 'Send in the Clowns' that parodied the New York businessman, referring to the real estate mogul as a 'sad, vulgar clown'. She is pictured during the performance
+12
Clinton (L) greets actress Laverne Cox during the LGBT for Hillary Gala at Cipriani Club on Friday in New York City, where she made the comments about Trump's supporters
Share or comment on this article
Read more: dailymail.co.uk
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook |
