Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney attempted to row back comments he made this week on being "not concerned" about poor people in America, saying in an interview broadcast Friday that he "misspoke."

The gaffe brought Romney sharp criticism just hours after clinching a solid victory in the Florida primary, as he battles for the Republican nomination to take on President Barack Obama in the November election.

"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," the wealthy businessman said Wednesday. Last week the former Massachusetts governor disclosed earning $20 million in 2010.

"I misspoke, I said something that is similar to that and quite acceptable for a long time," Romney said in the interview aired Friday on CNN.

Speaking from Nevada, where he hopes to trounce his closest rival Newt Gingrich in the state's Republican caucuses Saturday, Romney insisted: "I misspoke, plain and simple."

"What I said is my focus, my primary focus, is on helping people get in the middle class and grow the middle class," Romney said.

"We have a safety net that cares for the poor, I want to keep that safety net strong and able. The wealthy are doing just fine. But we really need to focus on middle income people in this country," he added.

Romney acknowledged opponents would be seizing on the gaffe -- "If people are going to get after me when I make a mistake when I slip up on a word I say, even when I say 'I got it wrong, sorry, that's not what I meant', well, you know, it's going to be part of the political process," he said.

The Democratic National Committee had issued a message that said Romney's remarks were just the latest dig at the poor, and a "shallow attempt to show concern for the middle class."