Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, issued a sharp rebuke Tuesday to Republicans who have not condemned Donald Trump for his attacks on the Khan family, saying that the GOP is at a “moral fork in the road”. Obama said during a White House press conference with the prime minister of Singapore. If they were to in the aftermath of Obama’s statement today, it’ll look like they are doing the President’s bidding – and that won’t go down well with party supporters. “There has to come a point in which you say, enough”, he said.
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“They released criminal aliens into our country who killed one innocent American after another, like Sarah Root and Kate Steinle, and have repeatedly admitted migrants later implicated in terrorism”, Donald Trump continued. The nominee also appears to lack an understanding of foreign affairs that would qualify him to run US diplomacy, Obama said, and he simply has failed to demonstrate the capabilities of previous Republican nominees.
“There has to be a point in which you say this is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party”, Obama said.
Dr. Justin A. Frank, a psychiatrist who has written about other presidential demeanors, told NBC News he sees Trump as a brilliant salesman and showman who has more in common with theatrical performers like Judy Garland or the fictional lead character in “All That Jazz” than anyone with a pathological disorder. “There has to come a point at which you say: “Enough”.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us”.
In additional remarks at a news conference and in interviews last week, Trump also appeared to be confused or ignorant of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine since 2014; asked the Russian government to hack into Clinton’s e-mails – he later said he was being sarcastic – and criticized four-star Marine Corps General John Allen after he also denounced Trump’s policies at the Democratic convention.
In contrast to McCain’s statement on Monday, Republican leaders in the House and Senate offered rather tepid statements over the weekend, refusing to call Trump out directly and making no reference to ending their support for his White House run.
Among registered voters surveyed by CNN following the Democratic convention, 36 percent of Republicans said they would definitely vote for Trump, while 44 percent of Democratic voters said they are solidly behind Clinton. Trump has since equated his sacrifices as a businessman with the Khans’ in losing their son, and he has also lashed out at the Khans for criticizing him.
“If in fact Russian Federation engaged in this activity, it’s just one on a long list of issues that me and Mr. Putin talk about”, Obama said.
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Obama has made clear he plans to be an active player in the White House race, campaigning around the country for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The latest indicator of Trump’s temperament issues? A SurveyUSA poll from June conducted for The Salt Lake Tribune between Trump, Clinton, and Johnson shows Trump and Clinton tied at 35 percent and Johnson at 13 percent.
