This past week, after Hillary Clinton described half of Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables” in a fundraiser speech, the nation’s conservatives and moderates reflexively clutched their pearls. Mainstream news outlets are already describing the moment as a gaffe, and suggesting that her characterization of Trump voters was both unwarranted and excessively harsh. Yet Clinton’s statement was not as beyond the pale as many would have you believe — her description of Trump’s supporters was accurate, necessary and politically shrewd.

To take umbrage at Clinton’s words is to believe that at least half of Trump supporters do not hold views that could be reasonably described as deplorable. Yet Trump won the nomination by running as an obvious agent of white supremacy, which in turn reveals a lot about his voters. His characterization of immigrants as lawless and dangerous, propagation of empirically false statistics about black crime and retweeting of anti-Semitic memes helped to solidify his primary base of support. If others do not call out this behavior for being as horrendous as it is, then we normalize it and risk mainstreaming ethno-nationalism. And ascribing these beliefs to only half of all Trump supporters isn’t just fair — it’s a bit generous.

The urgency of the election justifies Clinton’s lack of politeness. White supremacy is an ideology that ruins lives, and it is merely one step away from having a representative in the White House. This is not an issue that deserves tactfulness. Clinton was correct to call out the people who would vote for someone who poses a clear existential threat to non-white United States citizens, without even mentioning the multitudes of people who would be impacted by Trump’s frighteningly aggressive foreign policy. Voting for a bigot of Trump’s magnitude out of genuine ideological agreement is profoundly dangerous.

Lastly, Clinton’s statement was far too calculated to be labeled a gaffe. With her remark, Clinton hoped to drive a wedge between fervent Trumpers and moderate Republicans, a strategy she introduced at her last press conference. Explicitly tying Trump to racism and other “deplorable” ideologies throws a wrench in Trump’s plans to lessen his extreme stances before the first debate and reminds moderate Republicans of Trump’s true colors. Those who support Trump more out of partisan loyalty than sincere enthusiasm might be looking for an excuse to flip sides, and by painting the company they keep as “a basket of deplorables,” Clinton aims to give them just that.

The question of why the press insists on labeling Clinton’s move a gaffe still remains. One can only imagine that such an over-the-top reaction is an attempt at generating artificial newsworthiness. But if this behavior from the media persists, then we do not just sacrifice accuracy. We also normalize our society’s worst impulses.

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