NEW YORK: PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi on Thursday said minorities in the United States need to be reassured of their safety after Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the US presidential election.
“Our employees, especially our employees who are non-white, are asking, ‘Are we safe?'” Nooyi said.
“The first thing we have to do is assure everyone in the US that everyone is safe.”
India-born Nooyi, who supported Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, said at the New York Times Dealbook conference that she hoped Trump’s controversial statements on immigrants and minorities during the election battle were “just campaign rhetoric.”
She congratulated Trump, but suggested he needs to set a much more inclusive tone. Pepsi employees, especially those who are minority, are “in mourning,” she said.
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Nooyi also called for greater respect for women, dismissing Trump’s excuses following a leaked 2005 video in which the president-elect spoke lewdly about women.
In the clip, Trump described forcing himself on women in predatory language.
“How dare we talk about women that way?” Nooyi said.
“I don’t think there’s a place for that kind of talk, not in a locker room, not anywhere,” she said. “If we don’t nip this in the bud, it’s going to take over our society.”
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