Political risk for all in Trump-Clinton ‘deplorables’ debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — A war of words over Donald Trump's "deplorables" is intensifying as Republicans and Democrats fight for political points over Hillary Clinton's claim that many of the New York billionaire's supporters are racist, sexist and homophobic.

Trump and his allies across the country insisted Tuesday that the Democratic presidential nominee's comments reflect an out-of-touch elitist who looks down on working-class voters, akin to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's assertion that 47 percent of Americans would never vote for him because they were dependent on the government. Democrats — and even some Republicans — warned, however, that this debate could backfire on Trump, drawing new attention to white supremacists and hate groups attracted by his "America first" message.