Trump Jumps on Leaked Audio From Hillary Clinton Fundraiser
Trump uses Clinton remarks to reach out to Sanders supporters.
— -- Audio of Hillary Clinton addressing donors at a Virginia fundraiser in February has surfaced and is gaining attention because of how she describes Bernie Sanders' supporters, and Donald Trump and his campaign have jumped on her comments in an effort to bring Sanders backers to their side.
"Some are new to politics completely. They're children of the Great Recession. And they are living in their parents' basement," Clinton said at the home of former Ambassador Beatrice Welters. "They feel they got their education and the jobs that are available to them are not at all what they envisioned for themselves. And they don't see much of a future."
The audio, released by The Free Beacon, was recorded during the Democratic primary when the race was close between Clinton and Sanders. Since she became the nominee, he has not only endorsed her but also spoke at the party's convention and has been campaigning for her in battleground states.
"There's just a deep desire to believe that we can have free college, free health care, that what we've done hasn't gone far enough and that we just need to, you know, go as far as, you know, Scandinavia, whatever that means, and half the people don't know what that means, but it's something that they deeply feel," Clinton told the donors.
Some Sanders supporters have taken to Twitter voicing their disagreement with the message, but Sanders' deputy communications director, Mike Casca, and the Clinton campaign have pointed out how the tone of Clinton's comments is not in any way mocking Sanders supporters, as some have reported.
Clinton "wants young people to be idealistic and set big goals," her campaign spokesman Glen Caplin said. "She is fighting for exactly what the millennial generation cares most about — a fairer, more equal, just world."
He said she has worked with Sanders on lowering the cost of education and making sure everyone gets a fair shot.
"She's inspired by the optimism and the drive of this generation and Sanders supporters across the country — and they’ve helped her craft and promote the most progressive platform in Democratic Party history," Caplin added.
But Trump heard something different in Clinton's words, describing her in one tweet as being "nasty to Sanders supporters behind closed doors."
Trump's campaign has linked Clinton's words at the February fundraiser to her statement at another fundraiser last month, when she referred to half of Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables."
His campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, asked on Twitter, "Who else does @HillaryClinton ridicule behind closed doors for $$$?"
Sanders will be a guest on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
ABC News' MaryAlice Parks and Liz Kreutz contributed to this report.
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