At an LGBT gala fundraiser featuring Barbra Streisand Friday night, Hillary Clinton said half of Trump supporters are "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it" and cast them into the "basket of deplorables." NBC News reports:
Addressing the issue of Trump's popularity, Clinton said: "To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call the 'basket of deplorables.' Right? Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it. "And unfortunately, there are people like that and he has lifted them up … he tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric." She continued: "Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but they are not America but the other basket … are people who feel that 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. They are just desperate for change … they don't buy everything he says but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. "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,'" she said.
On Twitter, Bill Kristol weighed in on Clinton's remarks:
So according to Hillary, Trump has two kinds of supporters--deplorables, and Americans whose lives are miserable & who deserve to be pitied.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol)
September 10, 2016Hillary's 2nd basket supporting Trump is also problematic. There are upbeat, cheerful Americans who (mistakenly, in my view) support Trump.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol)
September 10, 2016Q for Hillary:Trump's winning majority of active duty military. Do they fall into the deplorable basket or the pitiable & despairing basket?
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol)
September 10, 2016Both of Hillary's baskets are going to cause her trouble. She's saying, if you don't support me, you're an object of my disdain or my pity.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol)
September 10, 2016Basket of deplorables particularly unfortunate on eve of 9/11. Suspect we'll hear from 9/11 & post-9/11 heroes who fall in Hillary's basket.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol)
September 10, 2016