U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sought to get his campaign back on track Tuesday after his remarks from a secretly recorded video caused a furor among supporters of President Barack Obama.

Mr. Romney is heard on the video saying that 47 percent of American voters who support Mr. Obama pay no taxes, but believe they are entitled to health care and other benefits without taking responsibility for their lives. He acknowledged Tuesday that his comments were not elegantly stated, but he said he will continue to fight for a smaller government.

A White House spokesman said Mr. Obama does not consider recipients of government-funded financial support, such as students, to be “victims.”

The video, released Monday by the magazine Mother Jones, shows Mr. Romney dismissing the president's supporters as Americans who believe they are “victims” entitled to be supported by the federal government. The magazine says Mr. Romney made the comments in May at a private fundraising event in Florida.

President Obama's campaign has portrayed Mr. Romney, a retired multi-millionaire businessman, as out of touch with the real struggles of middle class and low-income Americans.

In the same video recording, the Republican candidate also said that Palestinians are not interested in establishing peace in the Middle East. That has fueled concerns that Mr. Romney's foreign policy could be biased in favor of Israel.