Donald Trump said Wednesday that he's the best candidate to revive the economy, as he tried to stay on message a day after remarks that some saw as suggesting violence toward presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump made stops in Virginia and Florida a day after he faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans over his comments. The Republican nominee said the dust-up was more evidence that the election is rigged against him.

"They can take a little story that isn't a story and make it into a big deal," Trump, who asserts that his remarks were misconstrued, said in Abingdon, Va. "We have to protect the Second Amendment; it's under siege."

During a rally Tuesday, Trump noted that if Clinton, the Democratic nominee, won the presidency, she would have the power to nominate justices to the Supreme Court.

"By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people -- maybe there is, I don't know," Trump told supporters in Wilmington, N.C.

Trump on Wednesday sought to refocus his attention on what was supposed to be the theme of the week for his campaign: the economy. He characterized what he said were the dire effects of deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, and he accused President Barack Obama's administration of damaging the mining industry and warned that Clinton would be even worse.

"This is the last shot for the miners," Trump said. "Hillary will be a horror show, and I'll be an unbelievable positive. The miners will be gone if she is elected."

He directed criticism at Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, on his home turf. Rattling off some economic numbers from Kaine's years as governor, Trump declared his tenure "a disaster."

Trump also turned attention back to the dispute over Clinton's email practices as secretary of state. He took note of a new batch of State Department emails that were released Tuesday and showed close, and sometimes overlapping, interests between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department.

"Pay for play, it's illegal," Trump said. "We'll see what happens with it. It's very, very, serious."

Trump also accused President Barack Obama of founding the Islamic State militant group.

Trump has long blamed Obama and his former secretary of state, Clinton, for pursuing Middle East policies that created a power vacuum in Iraq that was exploited by the militant group. In the past, he has called Clinton the founder of the group.

"In many respects, you know, [the militants] honor President Obama," Trump said during a rally outside Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "He is the founder of ISIS."

The White House declined to comment on the accusation.

New Clinton Push

Trump, whose off-the-cuff remarks have drawn frequent criticism from both parties, has recently lost ground in the polls and alienated some prominent Republicans.

Clinton has gained the support of several prominent Republicans and independents in recent weeks, and her campaign sought Wednesday to bring some structure to its effort, introducing a group called Together for America to coordinate continuing outreach.

The announcement coincided with the latest batch of Republicans stepping forward to endorse Clinton: former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carla Hills, former Rep. Connie Morella of Maryland, former Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut, and former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte.

The idea behind the push is to make Republican voters more comfortable supporting Clinton by showing them examples of leaders who have chosen to disavow Trump.

As a recruitment tool, Clinton's campaign opened a new website to enlist Republican and independent voters who support its efforts. The site suggests that Clinton has the "temperament" to be commander in chief while Trump does not.

Clinton's campaign said that with Wednesday's endorsements, she can now claim nearly 50 prominent Republican and independent supporters, including three former Cabinet secretaries, six current or former members of the House and Senate, six former U.S. ambassadors, five former military leaders, nearly 20 other senior administration officials and a number of business and community leaders.

At a rally Wednesday, Clinton addressed Trump's remarks from the day before, saying they could carry "tremendous consequences."

Clinton said the remark was a "casual inciting of violence" that shows he lacks the temperament to be commander in chief. The comments, Clinton said, were the latest in a long string by Trump that "crossed the line" and raised the stakes for the 2016 campaign.

Words matter, she said, and "if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences."

Information for this article was contributed by Jill Colvin, Steve Peoples, Josh Lederman, Thomas Beaumont, Julie Bykowicz, Lisa Lerer, Emily Swanson, Catherine Lucey, Sara Burnett, Ann Sanner and staff members of The Associated Press; and by John Wagner of The Washington Post.

A Section on 08/11/2016