WASHINGTON /Web Desk
Republican Party’s candidate for the US presidential elections, Donald Trump, is drawing flak form different quarters over his offensive remarks against the Muslim Pakistani parents of a slain US soldier, with many analysts and political pundits saying the real-estate tycoon’s belligerent and aggressive attitude has gone too far this time.
The row continues to dominate the US media and has even overshadowed the campaign which was erupted after Mr. Khyzir Khan severely criticized Trump in his remarks at the convention of the Democratic Party to nominate Hillary Clinton as their candidate to contest Trump.
Stark new figures came as Barack Obama issued an open challenge to the Republican Party to disavow their newly chosen presidential nominee whom he called “unfit” to lead.
“If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?” the president said. “There has to be a point at which you say, this is somebody I can’t support as president of the United States.”
Mr. Khan, whose son Captain Humanyun Khan was killed in a suicide attack in Iraq in 2004, asked Muslims in the US not to vote for Trump who offended the community by suggesting that all Muslims should be banned from entering the United States. Mr. Khan even offered a copy of the Constitution to Mr. Trump, saying that perhaps he has not read the constitution.
Mr. Trump lashed back at the family by questioning that why the mother, Ghazala, stood by silently and did not speak at the convention, suggesting that she “wasn’t allowed
to have anything to say”.
His belittling of the mother of the slain soldier and the intense reaction it attracted has since made front-line story in almost all the newspapers for the fifth consecutive days and all tv channels are airing the news repeatedly.
Trump has insulted his opponents in all ways but analysts say his remarks against the Muslim parents could
create a major challenge for him. He has drawn criticism from his own party too.
“Nobody minds when he attacks other politicians; in fact, they like it. He’s instilling an ¬accountability that doesn’t exist. But they don’t like it when he goes after real people, and they wish he would stop,” a report in the Washington Post quoted Republican Party’s pollster Frank Luntz as saying.
According to the report, initial signs suggest row with Khans has hurt Trump. A survey conducted after the row showed that the whole affair was working to Clinton’s advantage who let 52 percent to 43 percent in a CNN-ORC survey and 47 percent to 41 percent in CBS news survey.
Many leading party leaders stayed away from the Republican party convention held early this month in which Trump was nominated the party candidate to contest Clinton.
A leading Republican Senator John McCain sharply criticized Trump’s remarks against the family. “While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” Mr. McCain, a war hero was quoted by a report in the New York Times.
Soon after McCain’s criticism, many other party Senators also lambasted Trump for his remarks against the family.