Over the weekend, Donald Trump picked on an unusual target, even for him: the family of a fallen soldier. Specifically, Trump went after Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who criticized Trump in a stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention for attempting to ban Muslims — like them and their son, who died in war — from entering the US.
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver couldn’t believe it.
"The main takeaway from these two weeks is that, incredibly, we may be on the brink of electing such a damaged, sociopathic narcissist that the simple presidential duty of comforting the families of fallen soldiers may actually be beyond his capabilities," Oliver said. "And I genuinely did not think that that was a part of the job that someone could be bad at."
First, Trump suggested that Ghazala didn’t speak at the convention — only Khizr did — because her Muslim faith stopped her from publicly talking. "For a start," Oliver said, "his wife has explained that she chose not to speak because she gets too upset when she sees images of her dead son’s face, you fucking asshole."
Then, Trump suggested that he’s made sacrifices — seemingly equal to losing a child in war — by running a business, employing people, and building structures. Asked if those are really sacrifices by George Stephanopoulos, Trump said, "I think they’re sacrifices."
"No! No, they are absolutely not," Oliver said. "They are self-serving half-truths from a self-serving half-man who has somehow convinced half the country that sacrifice is the same thing as success."
