Donald Trump. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric against Hillary Clinton over the past day, as the Democratic presidential front-runner has subtly chided her Republican counterpart.

The war of words between the two front-runners heated up Monday night, when Trump used a term many interpreted as crude — "schlonged" — to describe Clinton's loss to then-Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary.

Clinton, while saying she wouldn't respond directly to Trump, told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday that she "deplore[s] the tone" and the "inflammatory rhetoric" of Trump's campaign. When asked about his use of the term directly, Clinton said Trump has demonstrated, in general, a "penchant for sexism."

Trump responded to those statements Wednesday in a pair of evening tweets.

"Hillary, when you complain about 'a penchant for sexism,' who are you referring to. I have great respect for women. BE CAREFUL!" the mogul tweeted.

He further tore into Clinton's comment about his campaign's "tone."

"Hillary said 'I really deplore the tone and inflammatory rhetoric of his campaign.' I deplore the death and destruction she caused-stupidity," Trump wrote.

Earlier in the day Wednesday, Trump appeared to mock Clinton's Tuesday town-hall event in Iowa, warning her not to play the "war-on-women or women-being-degraded card."

The latest round between the two front-runners began last Saturday, after Clinton referred to Trump as "ISIS' best recruiter" and saying the terrorist group was going to people showing them videos of Trump's supposedly inflammatory rhetoric against Muslims.

As the Clinton campaign was questioned about its candidate's claim of Trump appearing in such videos, Trump demanded an apology for what he called a "disgusting" remark. The Clinton campaign had a succinct response to that request: "Hell no."