Though Clinton’s comment was incendiary and she apologized Saturday for making generalizations about so many of Trump's supporters, it is different from Romney's so-called 47% remark for several notable reasons. --The 47% remark dovetailed neatly with a narrative the Obama campaign had built throughout the summer that Romney was a heartless corporate chieftain. --Clinton has called a segment of Trump’s supporters “deplorables” before, most recently in an interview with an Israeli television station earlier this week. Saying this group comprises half of Trump’s supporters – meaning millions of Americans – is new, which triggered her expression of regret. All that said, few people believe that the 47% remark is the only reason Romney lost the 2012 election.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 10, 2016 19:10 UTC