Clinton Says She Regrets Being 'Grossly Generalistic' About Trump Supporters

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a LGBT For Hillary Gala at the Cipriani Club, in New York, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Hillary Clinton said today she was "wrong" to say that "half" of Donald Trump's supporters were "deplorables" and "irredeemable," remarks she made at the LGBT For Hillary Gala, a fundraiser at which Barbra Streisand and Rufus Wainwright performed.

"To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call 'the basket of deplorables.' Right?" the Democratic presidential nominee told donors at the event. "Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it. And unfortunately, there are people like that and he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric."

She added: "Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable. But they are not America."


The remarks have been harshly criticized by Republicans and Trump supporters.

She issued a statement today expressing "regret" for the being "grossly generalistic."

"Last night I was 'grossly generalistic,' and that's never a good idea. I regret saying 'half' -- that was wrong," she said. "But let's be clear, what's really 'deplorable' is that Donald Trump hired a major advocate for the so-called 'alt-right' movement to run his campaign and that David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."

Trump called Clinton's statement "disgraceful," and a "grotesque attack on American voters."

"For the first time in a long while, her true feelings came out, showing bigotry and hatred for millions of Americans," he said in a statement released Saturday afternoon. "How can she be President of our country when she has such contempt and disdain for so many great Americans? Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of herself, and this proves beyond a doubt that she is unfit and incapable to serve as President of the United States. I will be President for all of the people, and together we will Make America Great Again."

Late Saturday, Hillary for America Chair John Podesta fired back at Trump, saying it's "no surprise" he is defending "his most offensive views and extremist allies."

"This is without a doubt deplorable -- but this is who he is," Podesta said in a statement.

"We will never stop calling out Trump’s bigotry and racist rhetoric, because we know our country is better than this. America is better than Donald Trump," the statement ends.