Donald Trump Calls on Hillary Clinton to ‘Retract’ Her ‘Basket of Deplorables’ Comment

BALTIMORE -- Calling on Hillary Clinton to “retract her comments in full,” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today hit back at her recent reference to some of his supporters as a "basket of deplorables.”

“I was, thus, deeply shocked and alarmed this Friday to hear my opponent attack, slander, smear, demean these wonderful, amazing people who are supporting our campaign by the millions,” Trump said today as he addressed the National Guard Association in Baltimore.

Clinton made the comment Friday night at a campaign gala.

"To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call 'the basket of deplorables,' right?" Clinton said to donors at the event. "Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it. And, unfortunately, there are people like that and he has lifted them up."

She continued, "Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable. But they are not America."

Today, Trump excoriated his rival for the presidency.

"After months of hiding from the press, Hillary Clinton has revealed her true thoughts. That was her true thoughts," he said. "She revealed herself to be a person who looks down on the proud citizens of our country as subjects for her rule. She views it as her rule. "

Trump argued that a person should not run for president if he or she has “contempt in your heart for the American voter."

“Hillary Clinton still hasn't apologized to those she slanders,” Trump said. “In fact, she hasn't backed down at all. She's doubled down on her campaign conspiracy and contempt. If Hillary Clinton will not retract her comments in full, I don't see how she can credibly campaign any further.”

Trump said Clinton's comments were the "most explicit attack on the American voter" from a major party presidential nominee.

"They are patriotic Americans of all backgrounds," Trump said. "People who warn about radical Islamic terrorism are not Islamophobes. They're not. They're decent American citizens who want to uphold our tolerant values and keep our country safe."

Trump has himself made comments that could been seen as Islamophobic, including his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the country. The Republican nominee also came under fire for questioning whether an American-born judge could be impartial in a case against Trump because of his Mexican heritage. The comment forced House Speaker Paul Ryan to call it a "textbook definition" of racism.

Clinton, for her part, issued a statement Saturday afternoon, expressing regret over her choice of words.

“Last night I was ‘grossly generalistic,’ and that's never a good idea. I regret saying ‘half’ -- that was wrong," the statement read.

Clinton is at home in New York recuperating from a bout of pneumonia that was diagnosed Friday. Her campaign publicly revealed the news on Sunday.

ABC News’ Morgan Winsor and David Caplan contributed to this report.