Campaign 2016 updates: Republicans pounce upon Clinton ‘deplorables’ remark. She apologizes. Sort of.

(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

Republicans went on the attack Saturday after Hillary Clinton, during remarks at a fundraiser late Friday night, said that “you could put half of [Donald] Trump‘s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables,” which she referred to as “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.”

In tweets, speeches and press statements, Trump, his running mate Mike Pence, and Republican officials accused Clinton of elitism and disrespect. Pence, the Indiana governor, said Clinton had insulted “hardworking Americans.”

The dueling statements increased the focus on racial and ethnic tension that already has dominated the 2016 campaign, often to Trump’s detriment. This time, however, it was Republicans who thought their opponent had wandered into politically damaging territory.

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(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is under fire and has expressed regret for part of a statement she made about GOP nominee Donald Trump’s supporters during a fundraiser on Friday.

Here is a full transcript of her remarks in New York City, with the controversial portion in bold:

“Thank you all so much. Wow. Thank you. Thank you. It’s sort of like the seventh inning stretch. Thank you all. You know, I’ve been saying at events like this lately, I am all that stands between you and the apocalypse. Tonight, I’m all that stands between a much better outcome! I want to thank Laverne [Cox] for being here at her first political event. Her endorsement, her strong words, her passion, her example, her advocacy on behalf of the transgender community, particularly transgender women of color, is just so extraordinary, and I love the way she wove in so many of the issues that are up for grabs in this election.”

“I think we know what we’re up against. We do, don’t we? Donald Trump has pledged to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn marriage equality, and if you have read about the ones he says he’s likely to support, he’s not kidding. In fact, if you look at his running mate, his running mate signed a law that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBT Americans. And there’s so much more than I find deplorable in his campaign: the way that he cozies up to white supremacists, makes racist attacks, calls women pigs, mocks people with disabilities -- you can’t make this up. He wants to round up and deport 16 million people, calls our military a disaster. And every day he says something else which I find so personally offensive, but also dangerous. You know, the idea of our country is so rooted in continuing progress that we make together. Our campaign slogan is not just words. We really do believe that we are stronger together. We really do believe that showing respect and appreciation for one another lifts us all up.”

“And it’s a special commitment that I feel to continuing to fight alongside the LGBT community. Because this is one of the continuing struggles. We’re filled in this great hall in Cipriani tonight with successful people, raising your glow sticks, thank you so much for contributing a little bit more to get the campaign over the finish line. But somewhere right now in this city is a kid has been kicked out of his house. Somewhere not far from here, maybe a suburb or across state lines, is a young girl who is just not sure what her future holds because she just doesn’t feel like she’s herself and no one understands that. Some kid getting off the bus at the Port Authority and somebody’s waiting to take advantage of that scared but brave kid looking for a different life and a future that actually belongs to him or her.”

“We still have a lot of work to do. And if you think of the work we have to do in our own country, it pales in comparison to the work we have to do around the world. And I’m grateful that in this room are so many people who have broken down barriers, stood up to discrimination and bigotry, fought for the rights of everyone. I was in North Carolina just yesterday and I told them, it’s not only that discrimination is wrong. It’s bad for business. That state which was led down a pathway of discrimination is seeing the results -- losing jobs, losing the NBA all-star game. Who wants to be associated with a governor and a legislature who set out to hurt the people they’re supported to be representing and protecting?”

“In too many places still, LGBT Americans are singled out for harassment and violence. You can get married on Saturday, post your pictures on Sunday and get fired on Monday. That’s why we’ve got to continue the forward march of progress.”

“And we cannot do it alone. I cannot do it alone. I’m not like Donald Trump, who says, ‘I alone can fix it.’ I’ve never quite figured out what it is he alone can fix. But that’s not what you’ll hear from me. I think we have to do this together. So, together we’re gonna pass the Equality Act to guarantee full equality. We’re going to put comprehensive quality affordable healthcare within reach for more people, including for mental health and addiction. We’re going to take on youth homelessness, and as my wonderful, extraordinary, great daughter said, we are going to end the cruel and dangerous practice of conversion therapy. We’re going to keep working toward an AIDS-free generation, a goal that I set as secretary of State, and with your help we’re going to pass comprehensive gun laws....”

“I know there are only 60 days left to make our case -- and don’t get complacent, don’t see the latest outrageous, offensive, inappropriate comment and think, well, he’s done this time. We are living in a volatile political environment. You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The 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 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks -- they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.”

“But the other basket -- and I know this because I see friends from all over America here -- I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas -- as well as, you know, New York and California -- but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well.”

“And what I hope is that in addition to your extraordinary generosity, you will go to our website, hillaryclinton.com, or text to join at 47246 to see how else you can get involved.”

“And I want to echo what Chelsea said. We are trying to register 3 million more voters and get those voters to commit to vote. We will win if people turn out to vote. There is no doubt in my mind that we will win. But we can’t take anyone or any place for granted. And therefore I am asking you to volunteer for a phone bank, for a canvass -- at the very least if you know anybody who’s even thinking about voting for Trump, stage an intervention! That may be one conversion therapy I endorse. Just remember: Friends don’t let friends vote for Trump.”

“So we’re going to have a great night tonight because we are so blessed. You know, we all love this woman either from afar or luckily enough up close -- and for my family, it’s been up close. We know she’s the great talent of our time. We know that remarkably she’s had a No. 1 album in each of the last six decades. We know that. But we also feel and see her heart and her passion. And she’s, of course, been a great ally and supporter of the LGBT community -- but of progressive causes and candidates, she’s been on the front lines repeatedly, bravely, never giving up or giving in to all of the incoming criticism that any of us who stick our necks out often attract. So we’re in for a great treat tonight. I could not be happier, more grateful, or excited, than to introduce a woman of such extraordinary presence, that really just her first name -- spelled correctly -- is more than enough. Please welcome, Barbra Streisand!”

(David Horsey / Los Angeles Times)

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And here’s Hillary Clinton’s response.

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Republicans on Saturday seized upon a remark Hillary Clinton made that called half of Donald Trump’s supporters “deplorables,” arguing that it is a slander similar to one made by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney that dogged him in the final weeks of the campaign.

Though Clinton’s comment was incendiary and she apologized Saturday for making generalizations about so many of Trump’s supporters, it is different from Romney’s so-called 47% remark for several notable reasons.

Romney was recorded on video saying at a fundraiser that 47% of Americans would automatically vote for President Obama because they were dependent upon government and paid no taxes, and that his job was not to worry about them. There was an immediate uproar that he was denigrating almost half the nation, including veterans and seniors.

Clinton, speaking at a fundraiser Friday night in New York City, said half of Trump’s supporters are a “basket of deplorables,” who are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic or Islamaphobic.

Here are some differences to keep in mind.

--The 47% remark dovetailed neatly with a narrative the Obama campaign had built throughout the summer that Romney was a heartless corporate chieftain. Clinton’s remark is an extension of her recent message that Trump does not represent the GOP moderates she is hoping to court..

--The voters Romney denigrated were voters whose support he was trying to win – working-class, blue-collar families in places like eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania who felt the economy had left them behind. 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.

--Romney’s remarks were surreptitiously recorded at a fundraiser that was closed to the press. Clinton made her remarks at a fundraiser in front of the press.

--Clinton has called a segment of Trump’s supporters “deplorables” before, most recently in an interview with an Israeli television station earlier this week. Saying this group comprises half of Trump’s supporters – meaning millions of Americans – is new, which triggered her expression of regret.

All that said, few people believe that the 47% remark is the only reason Romney lost the 2012 election. Rather he failed – winning 47% of the vote, ironically – because of the Obama campaign’s success at defining him early, the Democrats’ vastly superior ground game and Romney’s inability to connect with voters.

(Mark Ralston/AFP)

Hillary Clinton expressed “regret” on Saturday for her remarks a day earlier in which she described half of Donald Trump’s supporters as “a basket of deplorables.”

“Last night I was ‘grossly generalistic,’ ” Clinton said in a statement, using some of the language she noted in her remarks at a gala in Manhattan on Friday. “And that’s never a good idea. I regret saying ‘half’ — that was wrong.”

Still, Clinton went on to assail Trump’s “deplorable” rhetoric, noting, among other things, his public criticism of a family whose son was killed in Iraq and the occasions the billionaire businessman has retweeted social media users with ties to white supremacist groups.

During her remarks on Friday, Clinton added, that the other half of Trump supporters just want better jobs and more economic stability.

“Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well,” she said

Still, Republicans on Saturday piled on Clinton for her remarks.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, called on Clinton to apologize for her remarks. Meanwhile, Trump, who is set to attend the funeral of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly on Saturday, tweeted that he was insulted.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, speaking before attendees at the Value Voters Summit in Washington, said 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.”

“The men and women who support Donald Trump’s campaign are hard-working Americans: farmers, coal miners, teachers, veterans, members of our law enforcement community,” he said.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Even as she’s hurled criticism after criticism at Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has avoided slamming his fans.

But that changed Friday night.

During brief remarks at the LGBT for Hillary Gala in lower Manhattan, Clinton called “half” of those supporting the Republican nominee a “basket of deplorables.”

“Right?” she said to laughter from attendees, which included entertainer Barbra Streisand. “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”

Clinton assailed Trump for emboldening such individuals through social media and his own rhetoric. In a deluge of television advertisements in battleground states, Clinton and her Democratic allies have cast Trump as divisive and lacking the even temperament required of a president.

Still, recent national polls show support for Trump, as Clinton outpaces him by about 3 percentage points, according to an average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics. Moreover, in several swing states, such as Florida and Ohio, Trump has gained ground in recent weeks.

Trump tweeted Saturday that Clinton was “insulting” and his campaign manager called for her to apologize.

Clinton didn’t slam all Trump supporters. While she called some “irredeemable,” she said that others are just seeking a better future for their families.

“They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they’re in a dead-end,” she said at the gala. “Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well.”

At a gala for Hillary Clinton in Manhattan on Friday night, entertainer Barbra Streisand sang a special song for Donald Trump.

Streisand, 74, performed a parody of the hit song “Send in the Clowns” with special lyrics for the Republican nominee.

Below are a few excerpts:

VERSE 1
Is he that rich?
Maybe he’s poor?
‘Til he reveals his returns who can be sure?
Who needs this clown?

VERSE 2
Something’s amiss
I don’t approve
If he were running the free world, where would we move?|
Name me a town?
Just who is this clown?

(David Horsey / Los Angeles Times )

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