Romney Claims Misspoke About Poor

(NewsCore) - Mitt Romney acknowledged Thursday that he made a mistake when he told an interviewer he was "not concerned about the very poor."

Romney said he has conducted thousands of interviews and sometimes "you may get it wrong."

The Republican frontrunner made the admission in an interview with Nevada television network KSNV's "Face to Face with Jon Ralston," to air Thursday night.

"Jon, it was a misstatement," Romney said, according to a transcript from the show cited by Politico.

"I misspoke. I've said something that is similar to that but quite acceptable for a long time.

"And you know, when you do I don't know how many thousands of interviews now and then you may get it wrong. And I misspoke. Plain and simple."

In an interview with CNN Wednesday -- the day after his Florida Republican primary victory -- Romney said he was focused on helping middle-income Americans.

"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair I'll fix it," Romney said.

"I'm not concerned about the rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America -- the 90 to 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

Asked by anchor Soledad O'Brien whether he wanted to clarify the remarks, the former Massachusetts governor repeated that if the so-called safety net has holes, "I will repair them."

Romney said poor Americans benefit from food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers but that members of the middle class "need someone that can help get this economy going for them."

The remark sparked a backlash, amid concerns the millionaire businessman is out of touch with the average American.

Read more: Politico