US President Donald Trump referred to what he called the "filthy air" in India, China and Russia as he defended his decision to pull out of the Paris accord. He denounced Democrat rival Joe Biden's plans to tackle climate change in a presidential debate on October 23. "Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy,” he said during the second and final debate ahead of the November 3 US polls. "I will not sacrifice millions of jobs... thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It is very unfair," he said at the televised debate in which the two candidates avoided shaking hands due to safety risks. Joe Biden retorted that climate change is "an existential threat to humanity.” Trump's remarks come days before secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defense secretary Mark Esper visit New Delhi for talks on building the growing US-India partnership. This is the second time that Trump has made a critical reference to India during a debate. At the first presidential debate, Trump questioned India's coronavirus data. The US president’s remarks drew sharp reactions in India. Meanwhile, air quality in Delhi deteriorated further with the rise of pollutants on the morning of October 23.

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