Trump’s insult ‘beyond the pale’
Donald Trump has lashed out at two Muslim-American parents who lost their son while he served in the United States military in Iraq, and who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week.
His remarks stirred outrage among critics, who say the episode proves that Trump lacks the compassion and temperament to be US president.
Asked to comment on the convention speech of Khizr Khan, a Pakistani immigrant whose son, US Army Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq in 2004, the Republican presidential candidate described Khan as ‘‘very emotional’’ and said he ‘‘probably looked like a nice guy to me’’ – then accused him of being controlled by Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
‘‘Who wrote that? Did Hillary’s scriptwriters write it?’’ he asked in an interview yesterday.
Trump also questioned why Khan’s wife, Ghazala, did not speak, despite the fact that she sat for a media interview the following day. ‘‘She was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say,’’ he said.
Ghazala Khan said she did not speak because she is still devastated by her son’s death and grows emotional when she sees his picture.
Trump’s remarks drew strong rebukes yesterday – but only silence from several senior GOP leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the vicepresidential nominee, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
‘‘Trump’s slur against Captain Khan’s mother is, even for him, beyond the pale,’’ tweeted John Weaver, a Republican strategist for Ohio Governor John Kasich. ‘‘He has NO redeeming qualities.’’
The Clinton campaign’s Karen Finney said: ‘‘Trump is truly shameless to attack the family of an American hero. Many thanks to the Khan family for your sacrifice. We stand with you.’’
Clinton also addressed the episode yesterday. She did so without mentioning Trump.
‘‘I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son,’’ Clinton said in a statement. ‘‘And I was very moved to hear her speak last night, bravely and with dignity, about her son’s life and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country.’’
With his wife by his side on the convention stage last week, Khizr Khan blasted Trump’s rhetoric on Muslims and immigrants. Pulling his pocket version of the US Constitution from his jacket, he questioned whether Trump had read the document.
‘‘You have sacrificed nothing and no-one,’’ Khan said in a halting and forceful voice.
In his comments on the couple, Trump pointed to the sacrifices he has made as a businessman: ‘‘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,’’ Trump said.
Paul Rieckoff, the founder and chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said Trump’s comparison of his own sacrifice to that of war veterans was an insult.
Trump avoided the draft during the Vietnam War through several student deferments. He was later medically disqualified from service.