The newly elected commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars has condemned Donald Trump’s derision of the mother of a slain Muslim-American soldier who was remembered at the Democratic National Convention last week.
Trump made an offhand remark on Sunday about Ghazala Khan, the mother of Iraq War veteran Captain Humayun Khan, standing silent on the stage in Philadelphia while her husband, Khizr, memorialized their son. Trump’s criticism is an irreparable offense and “out-of-bounds”, according to a statement the VFW released Monday.
While the VFW has not endorsed either candidate, leading Republicans who have backed Trump reject his treatment of the Khans. Arizona senator John McCain roundly condemned Trump in a statement Monday morning, while House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued statements of support for the Khan family.