Mr Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, said: “They are not a basket of anything. They are Americans & they deserve your respect.”
Reince Priebus, head of the Republican National Committee, said Mrs Clinton had shown “her outright contempt for ordinary people”.
Millions of Americans, he said, supported the Republican nominee because they were “sick of corrupt career politicians like Hillary Clinton”.
Other Republicans mocked Mrs Clinton, sharing photos of the crowd in the Florida venue where Mr Trump spoke on Friday.
The hash tag #BasketOfDeplorables has been trending on social media as indignant Republicans attack Mrs Clinton.
“A candidate who writes off half the country as a #BasketOfDeplorables should be disqualified”, was one comment on Twitter.
“Mr Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, said: “They are not a basket of anything. They are Americans & they deserve your respect.”
Herein lies the problem for Hillary. “They are Americans” which is not what she cares about.