Muslims hold prayer meeting outside Trump Tower in protest

Some 200 protesters gathered outside Donald Trump’s New York City headquarters

Some 200 protesters gathered outside Donald Trump’s New York City headquarters, accusing the presidential hopeful of “fascism” and “racism” following his call for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States.

A group of Muslim demonstrators kneeled in prayer outside the building as part of their protests against his offensive remarks about the Muslim community.

Counter-demonstrations were also held by a small group of Trump supporters outside the building.

The billionaire former reality TV star, 69, leads most Republican presidential polls by a sizeable margin.

Trump’s popularity has only grown in recent months, despite a succession of controversial statements that political pundits had believed would damage his standing with voters.