Looking ahead, Romney said his campaign is focused squarely on middle-income Americans—to the exclusion of others at either end of the spectrum. But his comments Wednesday about the poor appeared certain to be fodder for critics.

"I'm not concerned about the very poor," he said on CNN. "We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich. They're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who are struggling."



Questioned about his comment on the poor, Romney reiterated that they have "a very ample safety net" but that "we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened."

Read more at the Associated Press