During a Tuesday visit to Capitol Hill, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence again blasted Hillary Clinton for saying that some of Donald Trump’s supporters are part of a “basket of deplorables.”
“I think millions of Americans were shocked and saddened to see Hillary Clinton refer to people across this country as a ‘basket of deplorables’ in a prepared speech before wealthy donors in New York City on Friday night. She said that, at the time, half of the people supporting Donald Trump and I were irredeemable, were not American, and frankly, I’ve never heard a major party candidate in the United States speak about the American people with such contempt,” he said in a press conference.
Addressing reporters along with the House GOP leadership, including Speaker Paul Ryan, Pence gave every indication that the Trump campaign will continue to highlight the “deplorables” comment.
“For Hillary Clinton to express such disdain for millions of Americans, I think is one more reason that disqualifies her to serve in the highest office in the land,” he added. “Anyone who has that low an opinion of the American people should never serve as president of the United States of America.”
Pence offered a full-throated defense of the Trump campaign’s supporters.
“What Hillary Clinton apparently doesn’t know is that the people supporting this campaign are hard-working Americans,” he said. “They’re people that run businesses. They’re veterans, members of the armed forces. They’re law enforcement officers, moms, dads, and farmers.”
“I’ll say again, that Donald Trump supporters are not a basket of anything. They are Americans and they deserve the respect of the Democrat nominee for president of the United States,” he later added. “We believe from our heart, even those who do not support us, even those who are critical of us or have strongly different views, have our respect because they are Americans and we respect their right to their views. And it would be the highest honor of our life to serve them.”
