Donald Trump vs crying baby: Transcript of the bizarre exchange in full

Traditionally, politicians are seen kissing babies in the streets, not humiliating mothers when a baby starts crying during a speech.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump resorted to the latter however, when a baby continued to cry audibly during his speech at his rally in Virginia.

Mr Trump had been discussing his views on China when the baby started crying. He addressed the noise by declaring: “I love babies. I hear that baby crying. I like it.”

But when the baby later did not stop crying, he told the mother: “Actually, I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here.

“I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking. That’s OK. People don’t understand.”

Here is the transcript of the incident in full: "When China devalues its currency they make it impossible for our companies to compete but China doesn't want - and I am very close to China, I have the biggest bank in the world is a tenant of mine in New York, the biggest in the world, the Chinese bank.

[Baby heard crying] “Don't worry about that baby, I love babies so...I love babies, I hear that baby crying and I like it. I like it. What a baby! What a beautiful baby. Don't worry (gesticulates at baby's mother in audience). The mom's running about like...don't worry about you know. It's young and beautiful and healthy and that's what we want but look, look. China when they devalue, when China devalues its currency they take our guts out and they do it so often, they do it so often. They are constantly devaluing their currency and they always wait till like it's a bad time, like we have a problem with Iraq, we have a problem with Afghanistan. Every time we have like a big problem, they always devalue and a year and a half ago they devalued the biggest devaluation they have done in 20 years, the biggest in 20 years and I said man [Baby heard crying] how do they get away...but we had a problem, we were doing other things.

“So when China does that we have to fight back. Now here's how you fight back because we can’t fight back any other way [Baby heard crying].

“We have the piggy bank, they have ripped us to shreds [Baby heard crying], ripped us absolutely to shreds - actually I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here. That's alright, don't worry. I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I am speaking! That's ok, people don't understand. That's ok...."