The Denver Post editorial board thinks Hillary Clinton went “way too far” when she mocked Donald Trump supporters over the weekend.
Clinton has expressed regret after making a generalized claim about supporters of Trump during a fundraiser Friday night, where she said “half” of Trump supporters can be placed in the “basket of deplorables,” meaning racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic.
The paper’s editorial board wrote, “She deserves the backlash she’s getting over the remarks.”
“Clinton’s ‘basket of deplorables’ statement only contributes to the divided-nation dynamic that’s been so worrisome this election cycle. While we have argued that Trump himself is acting in racist, sexist and deplorable ways, we’ve been fully aware that overwhelming numbers of Republicans have loudly called foul for his stances that suggest he has some serious soul-searching to do,” Denver Post editorial board wrote.
“Last night I was ‘grossly generalist,’ and that’s never a good idea,” the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement Saturday when she addressed the controversial comments made the previous night. “I regret saying ‘half’ — that was wrong.”
The remarks were made at a fundraiser headlined by a performance from Barbra Streisand.
The editorial board continued: “Clinton is right to attack the hate groups that have benefited from Trump’s rise. And she was right Friday to tell Democrats the party needs to empathize with Trump supporters who feel that the government and the economy have let them down. But her comments are the same kind of elitist statements coming from too many quarters that are poisoning the conversation and the debate.”
The editorial ends by stating, “The country needs leadership here, not cocktail party derision.”
The two presidential contenders are set to debate for the first time on Sept. 26, with NBC news anchor Lester Holt moderating.