Hillary Clinton has come under fire after claiming half the supporters of her presidential rival Donald Trump belong in a "basket of deplorables" of racists, homophobes, sexists, xenophobes, and Islamophobes.

The Democratic nominee later said she regretted her words as Mr Trump accused her of "insulting" millions of Americans.

The remarks were made at an LGBT fundraiser in New York, where Mrs Clinton said: "You can put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables ... the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic - you name it.

Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard working people. I think it will cost her at the Polls! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2016

"Unfortunately there are people like that, and he has lifted them up ... some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but they are not America."

The other half, the former US Secretary of State claimed, are individuals "desperate for change" who felt let down by the government and the economy, who need sympathy.


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"Basket of Deplorables" quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, with displays of support and fury at her comments.

In a statement backtracking somewhat on her remarks, Mrs Clinton said: "Last night I was 'grossly generalistic,' and that's never a good idea. I regret saying 'half' - that was wrong."

But she went on to list a number of "deplorable" features of Mr Trump's campaign, which she said had been "built largely on prejudice and paranoia."

Image: First Presidential Debate to get under way on 27 September

"It's deplorable that he's attacked a federal judge for his 'Mexican heritage,' bullied a Gold Star family because of their Muslim faith, and promoted the lie that our first black president is not a true American.

"So I won't stop calling out bigotry and racist rhetoric in this campaign," she said.

Mr Trump was quick to slam Mrs Clinton on Twitter, writing: "Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard working people. I think it will cost her at the Polls!"

He then released an angry statement in which he accused his rival of making the "worst political mistake of the season."

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"Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of herself, and this proves beyond a doubt that she is unfit and incapable to serve as President of the United States," he said.

His comments were echoed by members of his team, with campaign manager Kellyanne Conway saying the comments were "slander".

Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana and Trump's running mate, added: "Hillary Clinton's low opinion of the people that support this campaign should be denounced in the strongest possible terms.

"So let me just say from the bottom of my heart: Hillary, they are not a basket of anything. They are Americans, and they deserve your respect."

The media are often prevented from attending Mrs Clinton's fundraisers, but Friday's event, which featured a performance from Barbara Streisand, had been open to journalists.

Those attending the fundraiser on Friday were urged by Mrs Clinton to "stage an intervention" if they had friends considering voting for Mr Trump.

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The property tycoon and former Apprentice star was campaigning in Florida on the same day, where he said he would order an attack on Iranian boats if they harassed US Navy ships.

He told a crowded rally in Pensacola that if Iran's "little boats" circled America's "beautiful destroyers" during his presidency, "they will be shot out of the water".

He also accused Mrs Clinton of lacking the temperament to be commander-in-chief, telling supporters: "Personally, I think she's an unstable person."