Trump: No Regrets About Khan Family Remarks
GOP nominee also says Obama is afraid of him winning
Donald Trump said Tuesday he has no regrets about his comments toward the family of slain U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan.
In an interview with Washington’s ABC news affiliate, Trump said he didn’t regret his remarks about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, an American Muslim couple whose son Humayun was killed in the Iraq War in 2004. Khizr Khan criticized Trump for his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week.
“I said nice things about the son and I feel that very strongly,” Trump said. “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.”
While Trump isn’t backing down, campaign surrogates have tried to change the story, with little success.
Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said on Fox News Tuesday that it was likely Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama’s changing of the rules of engagement that led to Khan’s death. But Khan was killed in 2004, when Obama was still an Illinois state senator and Clinton was a senator from New York.
Trump also said he did not think he went too far in calling Democratic nominee Clinton “the devil” and pushed back on criticism from Obama that the real estate mogul is “unfit to be president.”
“I think it just means he’s concerned I’m going to win,” he said. “Don’t forget, last time he said I would never get the nomination, now he’s saying I wouldn’t get the election. Now, all of the sudden, he said the other day maybe I can win the election. No, I guess he probably has to say that kind of thing.”
Trump’s comments come in light of concerns raised about his campaign’s logistics and about his campaign manager Paul Manafort, as relayed by CNBC’s John Harwood on Twitter.
longtime ally of Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager: “Manafort not challenging Trump anymore. Mailing it in. Staff suicidal.”
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 3, 2016
However, Roger Stone, who previously worked for the campaign but still remains close to Trump and has also worked with Manafort, pushed back.
The idea that @PaulManafort is not doing everything humanly possible to help @realDonaldTrump win is patently false
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) August 3, 2016
Trump responded to the stories early Wednesday morning in a tweet. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2016