Holbrook, New York (CNN) New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday defended a racial joke he told Saturday night during a skit with Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, saying critics were "missing the point."

Clinton was part of a sketch with de Blasio at New York's Inner Circle dinner on Saturday, a gathering that brings together New York journalists, political operatives and elected officials.

Asked by CNN's Erin Burnett Monday about the skit, which rankled some on Twitter and elsewhere, de Blasio said the point of his joke was to turn a negative stereotype on its head.

Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio made a racist joke together.

How much information do you need to prove she ain't here for us? — Venus Selenite (@venusselenite) April 11, 2016

"Every actor involved including Hillary Clinton and Leslie Odom Jr. thought it was a joke on a different convention," he said. "That was the whole idea of it."

After de Blasio practiced rapping with Leslie Odom Jr., the "Hamilton" actor who plays Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical, Clinton came out to tease the mayor about how long it took him to endorse her.

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