Hillary Clinton faced raucous backlash for dismissing as many as half of Donald Trump’s blue-collar supporters as a "basket of deplorables" while speaking in front of a crowd of wealthy donors at an upscale Hollywood fundraising event – a statement in a closed door fundraising venue that mirrors the downfall of 2012 Republican nominee who excoriated the poorest 47% of Americans.
Donald Trump’s campaign was quick to seize on the statements with Vice Presidential running mate Mike Pence saying before the Value Voters Summit that half of Trump supporters aren’t a basket of anything while the often times bombastic billionaire turned reality television star took to Twitter to say that even though Hillary’s supporters dislike him, he does not think they are a "basket of deplorables."
The statement by Hillary came on the same day as a statement by her husband and former US President Bill Clinton deriding the poor and unemployed “Coal People” who he suggested are looking for a handout and somebody to blame – while many blame Clinton’s policies, particularly NAFTA, for stripping away their jobs.
In a stunning moment of elite tone deafness Hillary Clinton’s Press Secretary Nick Merrill said that racists, xenophobes, alt-righters and the like that he castigates as nothing more than a "basket of deplorables" rather than fellow countrymen make up "half [Trump’s] crowd when you observe the tone of his events."
Hillary Clinton’s staff also indicate that this is not the first time that the former Secretary of State has used the phrasing "basket of deplorables" having gone on Israeli television to castigate as many as 64 million Americans as "irredeemable" earlier this week and using the line frequently during fundraising events.
In her statement, Hillary Clinton says that "Last night I was 'grossly generalistic,' and that’s never a good idea. I regret saying 'half' – that was wrong” before returning to attacks on what she appears to be arguing is a critical mass of Trump supporters who are in league with David Duke and the KKK driven by alt-right forces of "prejudice and paranoia."
The statement then ends with the statement "I’m determined to bring our country together and make our economy work for everyone, not just those as the top. Because we really are 'stronger together.'"
