Romney struggles to steady campaign after secret videos

Republican Mitt Romney struggled on Tuesday to steady his reeling White House campaign after a secretly recorded video showed him dismissing President Barack Obama's supporters - almost half the country's voters - as victims who are too dependent on govt.

Republican Mitt Romney struggled on Tuesday to steady his reeling White House campaign after a secretly recorded video showed him dismissing President Barack Obama's supporters - almost half the country's voters - as victims who are too dependent on government.

US-Republican-presidential-candidate-Mitt-Romney-speaks-to-the-press-in-Costa-Mesa-California-AFP-Photo

The video from a closed-door fundraiser in Florida in May sparked a new wave of criticism of Romney's gaffe-plagued presidential bid and raised questions about his ability to come from behind in the polls and win the November 6 election.

In the clip, the first portion of which was published on Monday by the liberal Mother Jones magazine, Romney tells donors that 47% of Americans will back Obama no matter what and "my job is not to worry about those people."

He said they did not pay income taxes and were people "who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them."

Obama criticised Romney for writing off a big segment of the American electorate.

"My expectation is if you want to be President, you've got to work for everybody, not just for some."

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks to reporters in Costa Mesa, California. AP

Mickey Corsi, of Bedford, Texas, holds a sign as he protests outside the hotel hosting a fundraiser for US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Dallas. AP