Trump, Clinton, and the Deplorable Picture 

Some critics of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are speaking out against a meme shared by Donald J. Trump Jr., with many saying it represents white supremacy.

The meme swaps out the lead characters from a poster for the action film The Expendables with Donald Trump, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence, and gay conservative Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, among others. It also includes a cartoon character called Pepe the Frog, which has has been used by white supremacists.

The image began circulating online in response to Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton's comments at a campaign fundraising event last Friday. "You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables," she said. "Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic -- you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up."

On Saturday, Clinton expressed regret over her statements, saying the "half" proportion was wrong, but adding, "But let's be clear, what's really 'deplorable' is that Donald Trump hired a major advocate for the so-called 'alt-right' movement to run his campaign and that David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."

Roger Stone, a political consultant and major Trump ally, was among the first to share the "deplorables" meme, reports The Hill. Donald Trump Jr. posted the same image on Instagram.

A friend sent me this. Apparently I made the cut as one of the Deplorables All kidding aside I am honored to be grouped with the hard working men and women of this great nation that have supported @realdonaldtrump and know that he can fix the mess created by politicians in Washington. He's fighting for you and won't ever quit. Thanks for your trust! #trump2016 #maga #makeamericagreatagain #basketofdeplorables

A photo posted by Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) on Sep 10, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

The alt-right movement is getting a lot of attention in election cycle, especially since a former Breitbart executive joined Trump's campaign. The movement is often described as an alternative to mainstream conservatism, heavy on conspiracy theories, and portraying white people as oppressed. So now what lived in the deep, dark holes of the internet has become the stuff of public discourse.

Various people featured in the image have taken their turn at saying deplorable things during this campaign season. From the candidate's wall-building, xenophobic, deportation-happy rhetoric to the antigay history of his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, there hasn't been much positivity toward marginalized communities coming from the right.

Yiannopoulos, who is featured in the image, was recently banned from Twitter after leading a series of online attacks on Saturday Night Live actress Leslie Jones. Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, who is also featured in the image, called Black Lives Matter "racist." Black Lives Matter had a clapback for the campaign too.

Pepe the Frog is a famous meme that, according to a Daily Dot report, existed well before the alt-right but was co-opted as a symbol of the movement. NBC News and other outlets cited a statement from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group, saying the frog represents white nationalism. But the frog has appeared in many other places online starting in 2006 when it debuted in the comic Boy's Club, which portrays an "early 20-something hedonistic lifestyle," creator Matt Furie told The Atlanticthis week.

"This isn't the first time that Pepe has been used in a negative, weird context," Furie added. He said the alt-right's ideology is the opposite of his own, but he wasn't particularly alarmed by such use of his character. "I think that's it's just a phase, and come November, it's just gonna go on to the next phase," he said.