Trump Says Humayun Khan Would Be Alive If He Were President

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

When asked on Wednesday if he should have apologized to the Khan family for his attacks, Donald Trump repeated his claim from the second presidential debate that Captain Humayun Khan would be alive if he were president.

“I have great respect for the Khan family, I have great respect for — I mean, the son is a great hero,” Trump told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an excerpt published Wednesday night. “But if I were president at that time, Captain Khan would be alive today, George, because I wouldn’t have been in Iraq.”

Stephanopoulos pushed back, noting that Trump initially supported the Iraq War. But Trump insisted that he’s always opposed the war.

However, when asked by Howard Stern in 2002 if he supported the war, Trump replied, “Yeah I guess so.”

Trump told Stephanopoulos on Wednesday that his 2002 comment “was way before the war started, and that was the first time I was ever even asked about Iraq.”

Khizr Khan, the father of Humayun Khan who has spoken out against Trump, told ABC on Wednesday that Trump’s comment was “the most cruel thing you can say to grieving parents.”

“There’s no sincerity in those remarks. He utters these words totally oblivious to the understanding of where we are, where we stand, what our values are, and how to express — how to be empathetic. This is one character that a leader must have to be the leader of a great country, to be the commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States: empathy,” Khan told ABC News. “And this person totally lacks that.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Khizr Khan, the father of Humayun Khan who has spoken out against Trump, told ABC on Wednesday that Trump’s comment was “the most cruel thing you can say to grieving parents.”

    Pretty cruel.

    It would be appropriate for Trump to feel shame. Unfortunately, however, it appears he doesn’t have that capacity.

  2. To say that Donald Trump is vile is true, but words like “vile” are so inadequate.

  3. Still not as bad as Hillary Clinton’s reaction to Gaddafi’s death.

  4. Avatar for zsak zsak says:

    Trump is running against Bush??

  5. The sad truth is, that if the Supremes had allowed the recount and Gore had been President, we REALLY would not have gone to Iraq.

    But beyond that, his answer to Stern, “Yeah, I guess so,” just shows his overall lack of interest and knowledge about what’s happening in the world. He is just so weak-brained that it boggles my mind,

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

33 more replies

Participants

Avatar for k_in_va Avatar for ajaykalra Avatar for daveminnj Avatar for jessica1018 Avatar for sysprog Avatar for cvilledem Avatar for datora Avatar for psyclone Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for lastroth Avatar for tao Avatar for jcblues Avatar for williamv Avatar for mrf Avatar for darrtown Avatar for spencersmom Avatar for ljb860 Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for monkeypuzzle Avatar for centralasiaexpat Avatar for zsak Avatar for maximus

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: