Hillary Clinton's staff have apologized for their boss after the presidential hopeful was lambasted by Native American groups for saying Donald Trump had gone 'off the reservation' Friday.

After being asked about Trump's offensive comments, Clinton said: 'I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak.'

That remark, made to CNN's Jake Tapper, kicked off a firestorm that led to an apology by Amanda Renteria, Clinton's national political director.

When asked about Donald Trump's offensive comments in Republican debates, Clinton said 'I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave'

CNN's Jake Trapper (pictured) let the comment slide - but Clinton took heat from Native American commentators who deemed her quip offensive. Her staff have now apologized

Posting on Twitter - where complaints about the phrase had accumulated under the hashtag #OffTheReservation - Renteria apologized for the 'divisive language'.

In the first of two Tweets, she said: 'About the use of an expression today that has some very offensive roots...Divisive language has no place in our politics.

She then added: '@HillaryClinton meant no disrespect to Native Americans. She wants this election to be about lifting people up, not tearing them down.'

The apology focused on Native American people, but perhaps unsurprisingly, Donald Trump was displeased by Clinton's remarks for different reasons.

Calling it a 'horrible expression', Trump told Fox and Friends on Sunday: 'If I would have used that expression - maybe in the opposite form - it would have been a front page story. She uses it and gets away with it.'

Trump was referring to the lack of an immediate outcry in the media - something that several Twitter users also noted.

He continued: 'That's a very demeaning remark to men in my opinion. Was she referring to her husband? I think she was referring to her husband.'

While Clinton's team are probably not too worried about offending Trump, the Twitter apology didn't get the mass voter approval that they might have hoped for - partly because it was apparently delegated to Renteria rather than offered up by the candidate herself.

'I'm a big fan of Secretary Clinton but an apology from her directly is appropriate here,' wrote Twitter user PennyFlanagan.

Valsocial agreed: 'Shouldn't @HillaryClinton be making this statement not one of her surrogates? She needs to publicly apologize!'

Others brought up Clinton's other racial gaffes, including her infamous 1994 speech in which she referred to black gang members as 'super predators'.

One complainant, Jjmjdesq, wrote: 'f*** her. Are Native Americans HER next "superpredators". She is a clueless bigot.'

Apology: In a two-Tweet remark Amanda Renteria, Clinton's national political director, apologized for Clinton's remarks

Disrespect: Renteria said that Clinton meant no disrespect, but some rankled at the apology

However, there were some positive responses, such as keohime, who wrote: '@AmandaRenteria @HillaryClinton Am Navajo. Was kinda upset @ use of the phrase. This is the PERFECT response. Thank you! #ImWithHer'

Coke_usa said, 'Distortion of her words for politician gain, she fights for all - I say this With No Reservation #ImWithHer.'

And HWolfie wrote, 'Chickasaw here - funny thing, for Services tribe calls those of us not on reservation "At-Large" #ImWithHer.'

Clinton didn't just face criticism on social media - Native American commentators swiftly denounced the candidate's wording elsewhere.

'She has some battle tested Native women with her campaign, but the way she has interacted with communities of color is mind boggling,' said Johnnie Jae of Native Max magazine, according to Native News Online.

'"Super predators", "hot sauce" and now "off the reservation" among a huge list of problematic speech and behavior.'

In a statement to Native News Online, Bernie Sanders' national tribal outreach director Nicole Willis said: 'This is one of many sayings that marginalize the experience of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

'I'm disappointed that politicians who should have ample opportunity to interface with tribal representatives still use such expressions.'

And Indian Country Today Media Network called the remark 'offensive.'

Later on Friday, in a conversation with former Democratic State Senator and Sanders supporter Nina Turner, Tapper admitted he, too, found the wording offensive.

'Ah - yeah, a lot of people not aware of it, but the term "off the reservation," very offensive to a lot of Native Americans. Thanks for that reminder,' Tapper said in response to Turner's denunciation of Clinton's comment.

Donald Trump is known to seize at any offensive or bizarre comments made by his opponents - but had not commented on Clinton's remark as of Saturday morning

In a 'Word Watch' story from 2014, National Public Radio explained the history of the saying.

The idiom has been around since at least 1878, and was used to refer to Native Americans who literally wandered off reservations - against the laws of the time.

'Off the reservation is a common phrase, which many people use without considering the context of its original meaning.

'Namely, that Native American peoples were restricted to reservations created by the U.S. government, and their freedom was severely limited by the terms of the treaties they were often forced to sign,' NPR's Kee Malesky wrote.

Malesky noted the saying, in a political context, has taken on a different meaning. According to the 2008 book Political Dictionary:

'Remaining nominally within a party, but refusing to support the party's candidate... The phrase first surfaced in the Atlanta Constitution in 1909.'

In a comment to NPR, Rob Capriccioso, citizen of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for Indian Country Today wrote:

'I bristle when I hear the phrase because many of the people who use it nonchalantly have likely never thought about its origin, nor have they probably ever visited a reservation.'

'To me, there are indeed many more offensive words involving American Indians than this phrase - including the name of the Washington football team,' he continued.