Hillary Clinton said Monday that it was a "misstatement" when she claimed earlier this year that she would put "a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

The moment occurred after coalminer named Beau " called out" Clinton at a roundtable event in West Virginia for her earlier remarks on the coal industry.

"I just want to know how you can say you're going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs and then come in here and tell us how you're going to be our friend, because those people out there don't see you as a friend," he said.

Clinton responded by saying, "I don't know how to explain it other than what I said was totally out of context from what I meant because I have been talking about helping coal country for a very long time, and I did put a plan out last summer."

"And it was a misstatement, because what I was saying is that, the way things are going now, you will continue to lose jobs. That's what I meant to say and I think that that seems to be supported by the facts," she added. "I didn't mean that we were going to do it, what I said was, that is going to happen unless we take action to try to help and prevent it. So I don't mind anybody being upset or angry."

Clinton boasted at a CNN town hall event in March that she has plans to boost the economy using clean energy resources.

"I'm the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country," she said.

"Because we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," she said with a slight smile. "And we're going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people. Those people labored in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories."



Clinton said in her response during the roundtable event Monday that her "misstatement" about the coal industry likely means her chances of winning the West Virginia Democratic primary on May 10 are " pretty difficult, to be honest."

"That's a perfect right for people to feel that way," she told the West Virginian coalminer. "I do feel a little bit sad and sorry that I gave folks the reason or the excuse to be so upset with me, because that is not what I intended at all."