Donald Trump thanks 'deplorables' for helping him win election a year ago

COLUMBIA: Donald Trump tweeted his thanks and congratulations to the millions of Americans who elected him president one year ago Wednesday, including the "deplorables" criticized by rival Hillary Clinton during their toxic campaign.

The tweet came hours after Democrats scored wins in several high-profile state and local elections, victories seen as a repudiation of Trump`s combative politics.

"Congratulations to all of the `DEPLORABLES` and the millions of people who gave us a MASSIVE (304-227) Electoral College landslide victory!" Trump posted on Twitter from China, where he is in the midst of his nearly two-week trip to Asia.

The tweet included a photograph apparently taken aboard Air Force One, showing Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and several aides -- White House communications director Hope Hicks, senior policy advisor Stephen Miller and social media director Dan Scavino -- giving thumbs-up signs.

Trump stunned the political world with his improbable victory on November 8, 2016.

The race proved one of the most divisive of modern times, and Clinton fanned those flames two months before the election in one of her most controversial speeches of the campaign.

"To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump`s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables," she told attendees at a September 10, 2016 fundraiser.

"The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic -- you name it," she added. "Unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up."

Trump supporters proudly embraced the "deplorables" term, in part as a way to mock Clinton and her backers.