Donald Trump questioned why the Muslim-American mother of a fallen USA soldier stood silently by her husband during his moving speech at last week’s Democratic National Convention, intimating that there was some kind of religious prohibition at work.
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In her initial response to Trump’s comments about the Khan family, Clinton said in a statement Saturday that now is “a time for all Americans to stand with the Khans, and with all the families whose children have died in service to our country”. “That is not true”, Mrs. Khan wrote, adding that she decided not to speak at the convention because of her pain over the 2004 death of her son.
How do you feel now about having gone to the convention and gone out on stage and seen what an impact it’s had?
Trump also disputed Khan’s criticism that the billionaire businessman has “sacrificed nothing and no one” for his country. He will be a better person if he could become – but he is a black soul. “Shame on him! Shame on his family”, said Khizr Khan.
Mr Trump has courted controversy and sparked outrage during his drive for the USA presidency with disparaging remarks against immigrants, Muslims and women.
Donald Trump sparked bipartisan backlash after the Republican attacked the bereaved parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain who spoke at the Democratic convention last week. Trump tweeted. “Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!”
Trump asked ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in the interview, saying he has indeed sacrificed by employing thousands of people, and raising “millions of dollars” for veterans.
Mr Trump responded defiantly, saying in the ABC interview that he had “no relationship” with Mr Putin, but that “if our country got along with Russian Federation, that would be a great thing”.
On Twitter, Republican strategist Ana Navarro called Trump’s comments about the Khans “gross” and labeled him a “jerk”. I’ve worked very, very hard.
“America’s greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it”, he said in the statement. I’ve done, I’ve had tremendous success.
“I saw him”, Trump said of the speech.
On Friday, the Khans went on MSNBC and made a direct plea to both House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell to “repudiate Trump” for “what he has threatened to do”. She was extremely quiet and looked like she had nothing to say.
Ms Khan says she didn’t speak out because she’s still overwhelmed by grief.
“I am appalled that Donald Trump would disparage them and that he had the gall to compare his own sacrifices to those of a Gold Star family”, the New Hampshire senator said in a statement, first reported Sunday by the Washington Post.
“Shame on him, shame on his family, he is not worthy of our comments”. He is void of decency. “Yet he comes back again on the same thing”, Khan said.
Pulling a copy of the Constitution from his breast pocket, Khizr Khan said “Mr. Trump has sacrificed nothing and no one”. Captain Khan was one such fearless example.
“His sacrifice – and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan – should always be honoured”.
Trump focused his attack on Khan’s wife, Ghazala, who stood quietly by her husband side at the convention last week. The businessman also accused Ghazala, whose USA soldier son was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004, of not speaking because she was forbidden to as a Muslim.
In an interview for ABC on Saturday, Ghazala Khan said: “When I was standing there, all of America felt my pain, without a single word”.
Khan, Sunday, slammed Donald Trump, declaring the GOP nominee lacks empathy and a moral compass.
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“Mr. Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didn’t he?” she told the African-American congregation.
