Criticism has poured in from outraged veterans groups, relatives of soldiers killed in action and even President Barack Obama.
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Soon after the Democratic convention, Trump lashed back at the family and questioned why the mother, Ghazala, stood by silently and did not speak about her son, suggesting that she “wasn’t allowed to have anything to say”.
“I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices”. “I work very, very, hard; I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs – tens of thousands of jobs; built great structures; I’ve had tremendous success”. How can we elect a man incapable of expressing sympathy to a family who has paid the ultimate sacrifice? Absolutely. But no more so – I’d actually say quite a bit less so – than countless other comments he’s made over the past year.
And Laurie Davies Emmer, a former combat medic who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, complained, “Those of us who served, had loved ones who served and still have loved ones serving can not compare this type of sacrifice, to the sacrifices of building a billion dollar empire”.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the largest United States war veterans group, heaped scorn on Trump’s “out of bounds” criticism of a fallen soldier’s mother. “He lead from the front … and he was never mean”, she said.
The spat which erupted after Mr. Khizar Khan severely criticized Trump in his speech at the Democratic Party convention to nominate Hillary Clinton as the party’s candidate against Trump.
“We honor him and honor his family as we do all Gold Star families”, Pence told the woman in Carson City, Nevada, after she asked the vice presidential nominee how he could tolerate Trump’s “disrespect”.
The responses showed the awkward position some Republicans are in as they try to condemn Trump’s remarks while not renouncing his candidacy.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars released a statement denouncing trump, saying: “to ridicule a gold star mother is out-of-bounds”. There would have been no war for Iraq, I can tell you that, because I think it’s ridiculous, the whole thing. But like McCain, none revoked his support of the GOP nominee in the White House campaign.
Trump responded simultaneously on Twitter to the parents’ morning television appearances, saying he was being “viciously” attacked.
Obama told the veterans group, “I’m pretty exhausted of some folks trash talking America’s military and troops”. Trump implied wife Ghazala Khan didn’t speak because she was oppressed by her religion. A speaker uses parrhesia when he or she speaks truth to power, believing themselves duty-bound to do so despite the risks.
The Pence statement said Trump’s plans to bar immigrants from countries “compromised by terrorism”, rebuilding the USA military and defeating Islamic State will prevent other American families from going through the same thing as the Khans.
For months, Trump warned that the Democratic primary system was “rigged” against Clinton’s nomination rival Bernie Sanders, but on Monday, he stoked distrust about the larger election.
Later in the day, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Trump made an unprecedented move by calling Clinton “the devil”.
On CNN Monday, Khizr Khan pleaded for unity.
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Emails sent to Carney Monday night for comment were not returned. You can’t claim immunity from political attack after you’ve launched an attack of your own in primetime at a political convention. “He’s afraid because of you”.
