McCain Takes On Trump Over Muslim Soldier Comments

McCain Rejects Attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan

by Brett Linley

Donald Trump‘s relationship with Arizona Senator John McCain is as poor as ever. In light of Trump’s ongoing feud with the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier, McCain offered a scathing rebuke. Per Politico, McCain lashed out at Trump while defending their son’s sacrifice.

“I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement,” he said in his statement. “I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates.”

The parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, spoke at the Democratic National Convention about their son, fallen soldier Humayun Khan. They spoke to their son’s sacrifice for his country, and bashed Trump’s repeated attacks on the Muslim community.

Most notably in the speech, Khizr Khan offered Trump a copy of his pocket Constitution. Khan claimed that Trump had never read the document, based off his constitutionally-questionable Muslim ban proposal.

Trump Fights Back

Ultimately, Trump did not take the line of attack very well. The candidate took to Twitter to express his displeasure.

Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same – Nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016

Trump also questioned why Ghazala, Khizr’s wife, was silent during the entire speech. He submitted that, “She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.” Ghazala claims that due to her overwhelming grief, she was unable to speak.

Trump’s actions have forced several of his GOP colleagues to repudiate him. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell once again had to defend their party without directly attacking Trump himself.

Ultimately, even Trump’s running mate Mike Pence went forward to defend Humayun Khan. He said that both he and Trump consider Humayun Khan to be an American hero. These responses, however, have been unsatisfactory to many.

America is Better Off Without Trump’s Attacks

McCain, as a war hero himself, took special exception to Trump’s comments. While he had brushed it off when Trump questioned his war hero status in 2015, McCain wouldn’t let Trump off the hook again.

“I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America,” McCain said. “We’re a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation – and he will never be forgotten.”

Trump is toeing a fine line between his fiery anti-Muslim rhetoric and strong national security stances. While Trump has indeed cut his bones on inflammatory speech, he may be further alienating independent voters.

At this point in the campaign, those who supported Trump from the beginning are unlikely to change their mind. For moderate Republicans and independent voters, however, the upcoming months will be pivotal if Trump plans to woo them.

Many may look to influential former servicemen like John McCain as they form their opinions. Americans have a long-standing tradition of supporting those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Staging political attacks on the parents of these soldiers can’t possibly score any points.

Trump’s strategy of trying to muscle out any contradictory public figures is starting to show some cracks. If he wants to pick fights in the future, he’d be well-advised to avoid the Khans. They’ve actually read the Constitution, and the Donald isn’t used to being at a disadvantage.