On the final night of last week’s Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan made a stirring speech that called on fellow Muslims and immigrants to consider their choices in the upcoming presidential election. Khan, whose son, Captain Humayun Khan, died serving the US in Iraq, pointedly addressed Trump: “You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
In response to the criticism, Trump shot back on Twitter saying that the family “viciously attacked” him. "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard," he said in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, spoke to Boston Public Radio on Monday about the latest Trump scandal that is causing a collective cringe among the international community.
“People are just stunned that America has really thrown into the fore someone who is as clumsy on the issue of race and religion as Trump. You hear that time and again, you read that in all the foreign newspapers; the world is just shaking its head in bewilderment at ‘how did we get here,’” Sennott said.
Even Republicans, like Senator John McCain, who have previously endorsed Donald Trump, have been vocal in rebuking Trump’s treatment of the Khan family. "I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates,” Senator McCain said.
Though Trump has shown an ability to survive major controversies in the past, such as his suggestion that Judge Gonzalo Curiel would be biased due to his Mexican heritage, questions over Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric loom over the general election.
“I didn’t hear anything from Trump or from the Republicans about what their policy will be and what their strategy is and how they’re going to defeat these Islamic fundamentalist terrorists that he continually wants to turn the discussion toward,” Sennott said. “There’s very little in the way of depth or any meat on the bone to understanding his policy or how it would differentiate from Hillary.”
To hear the full interview with Charles Sennott, click the audio link above.