Hillary Clinton tries to explain her comments on Trump voters after backlash

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Hillary Clinton questions women's independent thinking

Hillary Clinton blames her election loss on married women. Tammy Bruce gives her take.

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton attempted to explain her comments about American voters and the 2016 election in a lengthy Facebook post Saturday that claimed she "meant no disrespect to any individual or group."

During a recent trip to India, Clinton told attendees at a conference in Mumbai that Americans did not "deserve" a Trump presidency, said she won the states "that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward," and said that Trump's campaign was "looking backwards."

Clinton summed up Trump's message as "you know, you didn't like black people getting rights, you don't like women, you know, getting jobs. You don't want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are."

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"I understand how some of what I said upset people and can be misinterpreted," Clinton said in her Facebook post. "I meant no disrespect to any individual or group. And I want to look to the future as much as anybody."

But the former first lady criticized Trump for relying on "scare tactics and false attacks [that masked] the fact that he is otherwise no friend to most Americans."

Clinton also stood by comments implying that white women who voted for Trump were subject to "a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should."

"[T]here is anecdotal evidence and some research to suggest that women are unfortunately more swayed by men than the other way around," Clinton insisted on Facebook. "As much as I hate the possibility, and hate saying it, it’s not that crazy when you think about our ongoing struggle to reach gender balance – even within the same household.

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"I did not realize how hard it would hit many who heard it," Clinton added. "So to those upset or offended by what I said last week, I hope this explanation helps to explain the point I was trying to make."

Clinton's original comments drew backlash from Democrats, among them Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, who told "Fox News Sunday" that the former secretary of state's remarks were "not helpful."

"Thirty percent of the people who voted for Donald Trump had voted for President Obama," Durbin pointed out. "Why? The same people who looked for change with President Obama thought there wasn’t enough as far as their personal lives were concerned and they supported Donald Trump.

"That is a reality that Democrats acknowledge."