Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds two thumbs up during a campaign event at Briar Woods High School August 2, 2016 in Ashburn, Virginia. (AFP photo)
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he does not regret his comments on the family of Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq in 2004. Trump
belittled the parents of Khan, whose father addressed the Democratic
National Convention last Thursday night after he denounced the business
mogul as unpatriotic and selfish over his divisive rhetoric against
immigrants and Muslims. Trump
responded, in part, by suggesting that Ghazala Khan, the mother of the
soldier, was silent during her husband’s speech at the DNC because she
was not “allowed” to speak.
In an interview with ABC7 on Tuesday, Trump said, "I don’t regret anything."
"I
said nice things about the son and I feel that very strongly but of
course I was hit very hard from the stage and you know it’s just one of
those things but no I don’t regret anything."
Humayun Khan, 27, was killed in a 2004 car bombing attack in Iraq and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Khizr
Khan, whose son Humayun Khan was one of 14 US Muslims who died with the
US military in the ten years after 9/11, speaks during the final day of
the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 28, 2016, at the Wells
Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AFP photo)Trump’s
comments attracted rebuke from both sides of the aisle and intensified
calls for Republican leaders to distance themselves from the White House
contender.
President Barack Obama criticized Trump and Republicans for supporting him despite the controversies around his campaign.
“If
you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he
has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?” Obama asked
during a White House news conference.
Also, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a strong Trump supporter, said it was "inappropriate" to criticize the family of Capt. Khan and other Gold Star families.
In addition, a spokesperson for Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House of Representatives, has slammed Trump's rhetoric about Muslims.
0 comments:
Post a Comment