Kellyanne Conway: 'Deplorables' Comment Was Not a 'Gaffe'

It wasn't a "gaffe" for Hillary Clinton to refer to at least half of Donald Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables," as she was not only reading scripted words, but she'd already used such language before, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Monday morning.

"What I learned about her is that she feels so comfortable to tell a bunch of moneyed fat cats on Wall Street what she really thinks of people," Conway told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program, and she found the language Clinton used about tens of millions of Americans "personally offensive."

"I grew up with laborers," Conway told the program. "He [Trump] and [running mate] Mike Pence were at a fair in Mahoning County, Ohio, last week where there were probably 85,000 people there, 10 deep just to see them.

"The military that support him by 20 points, are these the deplorables? Is it the people I saw at those fairs the deplorables? I mean, sticking people in mass into categories is exactly what we shouldn't do as Americans. "

Show co-host Mika Brzezinski, who openly opposes Trump's campaign for the presidency, argued with her that she believes Clinton meant deplorables to describe people who are "racist and sexist and say things that are so despicable and they go against the really basic tenants and morals that our country is based on."

"Then why did she apologize?" Conway asked her.

"Because it came off wrong and using the word half was incorrect," Brzezinski shot back, arguing that Trump does not apologize and that over the the 9/11 weekend talked about Clinton shooting someone in the heart.

"He was using it as an example of what she get away with by the media, and that's probably true given the fact that, again, she treats the media like second-class citizens again yesterday," said Conway.

"What's not OK is for Hillary Clinton to malign the character and the intention of millions of people, Mika, and then pretend she's apologizing by repeating the same criticisms. "

Conway also discussed Clinton's health scare from over the weekend, telling the program that Trump has a physical last week and that he plans to release them this week.

She told show host Joe Scarborough that she doesn't know what's the record, as she's not a doctor and doesn't want to interpret the report.

"I can just tell you being out on the campaign trail with him, and this having been a candidate, a successful candidate, it's just so mentally and physically exhausting," said Conway. "I'm looking at the schedule for this week. We'll be in seven different swing states, five or six rallies . . .

"It's grueling, but people expect you to go right to where they are. If you're just going to do fundraisers all the time or a speech here and there, it doesn't really work for voters."

Meanwhile, she echoed Trump's statements that she hopes Clinton is recovering and will get back in on the trail.

"I think she's had a very bad 48 hours," said Conway. "She still just won't open herself up to the press."

Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, but didn't disclose it, and when the news came out, it overshadowed the 9/11 remembrances, said Conway, and that should have been the top story.

Brzezinski argued, though, that there is a lot of talk about the energy needed to be president, but not the knowledge, particularly on Russia.

"He knows enough to know that when he's president, we're not going to get pushed around," said Conway, and he'll know how to accept help from Russia to defeat ISIS.