“I like Paul, but these are frightful times for our country”, Trump said of Ryan, who faces a challenge by a conservative insurgent in the August 9 Wisconsin primary.
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Although Trump has remained defiant in his latest war of words, telling a Virginia television station that he doesn’t “regret anything”, his campaign chairman said Trump already expressed his support and appreciation for the Khans.
After a speech given by Humayun Khan’s father, Khizr, at the Democratic National Convention criticizing the Republican nominee, Trump responded in a television interview that sparked days of fallout.
One saving grace for Ayotte may be the fact that Trump has been distancing himself from her. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Trump didn’t sound like he would endorse or support Ayotte.
“I should play Obama for the presidency”, he said.
Even Mr. Trump’s long-time ally, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, said on Tuesday it was inappropriate to criticise the Khan family. I recognize that they all profoundly disagree with myself or Hillary Clinton on tax policy or on certain elements of foreign policy.
Trump supporter Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination, said Trump realised the need to focus on Clinton and “not allowing himself to be dragged off into the bushes”.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Mr Trump turned on two senior figures in his own party who have publicly criticised him.
“I’ve never been there with John McCain because I’ve always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets”, Trump said when asked about the Arizona senator’s rebuke of his comments about the Khans.
“I have the right to vote for a write-in candidate in the electoral college”, Vu told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
McCain declined to address Trump’s comments, other than to say that he stood by his record.
Speaking to Fox, Mr Trump said Mr Obama had been “the worst president, maybe, in the history of our country”.
“Captain Khan was one such fearless example”.
Republican House members Richard Hanna of New York, Pennsylvania’s Charlie Dent and Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo have said they won’t support Trump.
“Any attack on this wonderful American Gold Star family is an attack on all patriotic and loyal Americans who have sacrificed to make our country great”, Pittard wrote.
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“The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president”, Obama said at a White House news conference alongside the Prime Minister of Singapore.
