US election 2016: Hillary Clinton campaign slams Donald Trump for mocking Indian workers

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has slammed Donald Trump for his comments about Indian call centre workers, accusing him of running a "campaign of bigotry and division". The Clinton campaign warned that Trump was "continuing to breed disrespect and division" through his campaign.

Clinton was referring to comments made by Trump during an election rally on Saturday 23 April, when he complained about India's outsourcing industry and impersonated a call centre worker in India. Trump told supporters that he called his credit card company to confirm whether their call centre representative was based in India and then asked, "How the hell does that work?"

Trump said: "I called up, under the guise I'm checking on my card. I said, 'Where are you from?', 'We are from India'," Trump impersonated the response.

John Podesta, chairman of the Clinton Campaign, told reporters in Maryland: "Donald Trump mocking Indian workers is just typical of his disrespect that he has shown to groups across the spectrum. He has run a campaign of bigotry and division. I think that's quite dangerous for the country when you think about the fact that you need friends, allies."

According to the Press Trust of India, Podesta was speaking to the press at the launch of Indian-Americans for Hillary Clinton (IAHC) on 24 April. Podesta promised the gathering of Indian-Americans that the relationship between India and the United States would flourish if Clinton is elected as the next president in November.

Despite Trump's comments about call centre workers, he insisted that he did not have a problem with Indian leaders, and was only angry at US leaders for "being so stupid". He said that the United States could not allow countries like China, Mexico, Japan and India to steal business from their country "like candy from a baby".

Trump said: "The manufacturing jobs are being stolen. Our jobs are being taken. We are losing at every front. There is nothing good. Our country does not win any more. The jobs are being stripped. Factories are closing. We are not going to let this happen any more."