US election: Clinton calls half of Trump supporters 'deplorables'

Hilary Clinton: "You could put half of Trump's supporters in what I call the basket of deplorables"

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has called half of Donald Trump's supporters a "basket of deplorables".

She told supporters they were "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic - you name it".

She then went on to say the rest of the Republican nominee's supporters were "just desperate for change".

Mr Trump said the comments were "insulting" to "millions of amazing, hard working people".

In a tweet, he added: "I think it will cost her at the polls!"

Polls released earlier this week suggest Mr Trump is gaining on Mrs Clinton, and the rivals are neck-and-neck in the key battleground states of Ohio and Florida.

Eric Trump

Mr Trump's son Eric tweeted this image of a rally in Florida in support of the Republican nominee

In other developments:

  • Donald Trump said he would order an attack on Iranian boats if they approached US Navy ships. He appeared to be referring to a number of encounters between US and Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf.

  • Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence has published his tax returns, putting pressure on Mr Trump to do the same

  • The Clinton Presidential Library has released photos of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump from 2000 - when the families were on much friendlier terms

Reuters

Photos have been released showing Donald Trump with Bill Clinton in more friendly times

Alt-Right group

Mrs Clinton's comments about her opponent's supporters were made at an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) fundraiser in New York.

"To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the 'basket of deplorables'. Unfortunately there are people like that, and he has lifted them up," she said.

But she said the other half of his supporters were individuals who felt let down by the economy and government and were desperate for change.

"They don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. Those are people we have to understand and empathise with as well."

Her campaign manager tweeted to say the "deplorables" she referred to were the Alt-Right - a far right, mainly online, group who critics accuse of being bigoted white nationalists.

@NickMerrill

But Mr Trump felt it was a jibe at many others:

@realDonaldTrump

Singer Barbra Streisand performed at the fundraiser, with a version of Stephen Sondheim's song Send in the Clowns, parodying Mr Trump.