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GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump blasted his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton this week for referring to broad swaths of his supporters as belonging in a “basket of deplorables.”
Clinton made the controversial comments on Friday evening at a fundraiser in New York City – shortly before her failing health became the dominant issue of the 2016 presidential campaign.
In her remarks to Democratic donors last week, Clinton referred to Trump’s supporters as “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it,” adding that many of them were “irredeemable.”
This week Trump fired back, saying Clinton’s comments “revealed her true thoughts.”
“She divides people into baskets as though they were objects, not human beings,” Trump said.
“Our support comes from every part of America, and every walk of life,” he added. “We have the support of cops and soldiers, carpenters and welders, the young and the old, and millions of working class families who just want a better future.”
“These were the people Hillary Clinton so viciously demonized,” Trump said.
Trump further framed Clinton’s comments as being proof of her being disconnected from the people she’s seeking to lead.
“Hillary Clinton is an insider, supported by powerful insiders, attacking Americans who have no political power,” he said. “Hillary Clinton spoke with hatred and derision for the people who make this country run. She spoke with contempt for the people who thanklessly follow the rules, pay their taxes, and scratch out a living for their families. While Hillary Clinton lives a sequestered life behind gates and walls and guards, she mocks and demeans hardworking Americans who only want their own families to enjoy a fraction of the security enjoyed by our politicians.”
Even prior to her “deplorables” comment – and her health scare – Clinton was already facing a tightening race against Trump.
Aggregate polling from RealClearPolitics showed Clinton clinging to a 2.2 percent lead over Trump nationally heading into last weekend – down from a 7.6 percent lead a month ago. Clinton is also facing shrinking margins in critical swing states, as well.
(Banner image via iStock)