Presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Monday visited Jackson Diner, Jackson Heights’ oldest Indian restaurant, where she met with elected Queens officials and a culturally diverse group of community leaders to discuss discimination and diversity.
Clinton slammed Queens native Donald Trump, remarking that while he may be from the most diverse county in the world, he doesn’t seem to respect diversity.
The Democratic candidate said that the Republican front-runner’s words are “hurting our country” and “potentially undermining the safety of our people.”
“I have been speaking out against Trump and I will continue to speak out against him,” she said.
Clinton sat beside Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Queens), who told her that “folks here know what it’s like to be discriminated against.” He said that community members from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Afghanistan and Indonesia were among those in attendance.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, state Sen. Jose Peralta, state Assemblyman Francisco Moya, Councilman Danny Dromm and state Assemblyman Michael denDekker, were also on hand for the campaign stop.
Clinton didn’t eat anything at the restaurant (no one at her table did), but she did drink a glass of water as she took questions and heard comments from community members in attendance.
The Democratic front-runner stopped to take questions from reporters before heading out. She told reporters that Trump’s “rhetoric, his divisiveness, his incitement … is absolutely unacceptable and needs to be called out.”
She also spoke about her Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders, remarking that she’s looking forward to a “lively” debate on Thursday in Brooklyn.
“Under the bright spotlights and scrutiny here in New York, Sen. Sanders has had trouble answering questions” on how he’d deal with the banks and how he’d approach foreign policy, she said.
When asked about her focus on both Trump and Sanders, she said, “I think I can both walk and chew gum at the same time.”
