Trump closes in on Clinton’s projected electoral lead

She went on to say that “many of Trump’s supporters are hard-working Americans who just don’t feel like the economy or our political system are working for them”. “And he has lifted them up”.

Trump also blasted Clinton for a second straight day as a “trigger-happy” top diplomat who emboldened North Korea into conducting yet another nuclear test and put Iran on the path to atomic weapons.

The Clinton campaign later sought to explain her “basket of deplorable” remark, saying she was referring to people who actively back him, such as donors, endorsers and people at his rallies, not everyone who plans to vote for him.

She added: “So can I say I was surprised?”

“In a Trump administration, our Christian heritage will be cherished, protected, defended like you’ve never seen before”, Trump said to a rousing ovation. “He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric”.

He said that 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 alt-right movement, defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center as groups or individuals whose ideals center on “white identity”, once existed in underground online communities but has come to the forefront of the presidential election due to its proximity to the Trump campaign. While shecalled some “irredeemable”, she said that others are just seeking a better future for their families.

Generally, though, Clinton has avoided characterizing Trump himself as racist, instead choosing to label her opponent’s statements as racist.

It could prove a stumble for a seasoned – and polarising – politician who wants to lead a country that includes many who have embraced Trump’s exhortations to “lock her up”.

Friday’s meeting and press conference, held at the storied New-York Historical Society, appeared staged to draw a stark contrast with Trump, whose comments this week raised further questions about his readiness to be commander in chief.

“Hillary Clinton’s low opinion of the people that support this campaign should be denounced in the strongest possible terms”, Mike Pence, the governor of in and Trump’s running mate, said at the Values Voter Summit in Washington.

Many of Clinton’s fundraisers have been closed to the media, but her Friday remarks, preceding a performance by singer Barbra Streisand, were open to journalists.

“Obviously not everyone supporting Trump is part of the alt right, but alt right leaders are with Trump”, he said on Twitter.

On Saturday, Clinton’s staff said she attended another fundraiser at the Armonk, New York, home of attorney David Boies. The analysis considers preference polling, recent electoral history, demographic trends and campaign priorities such as advertising, travel and on-the-ground staff.

Weeks before the 2012 election, Republican Mitt Romney landed in hot water for saying that 47 percent of the public would vote for President Barack Obama “no matter what” because they depended on government benefits and his job was “not to worry about those people”.

“I won’t stop calling out bigotry and racist rhetoric in this campaign”, Clinton said.