When the autopsy is done for the 2016 Presidential race, it seems likely that the turning point, the moment when it all began to slip away from Donald Trump, will be the day after the Democratic National Convention ended and Trump began making hateful comments about the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan, who died in service to his country while stationed in Iraq.
Specifically, Trump wondered why Captain Khan’s mother, Ghazala, didn’t say anything at the convention, telling ABC News:
“If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
Such remarks are taking their toll on Trump and his standing among voters.
According to a new poll from Fox News, fully 7 in 10 of those who have heard about the controversy think Trump stepped over the line.
The poll also shows that even Republicans are deeply conflicted over Trump’s attacks on a Gold Star family: 40 percent say his criticism of the Khans was “in bounds,” while 41 consider Trump’s reaction to be “out of bounds.” 93 percent of Democrats said Trump’s comments were out of bounds. 63 percent of independent voters said Trump went too far in the Khan matter.
How does Trump repair the rift that has been caused by his daring to attack the parents of a young Muslim soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the United States? Perhaps by simply changing the topic. But the damage has already been done as thirty-four percent of registered voters say Trump’s dispute with the Khans has made them less likely to vote for him. 41 percent of respondents said it doesn’t change their likelihood of voting for the Republican nominee.
It would also be beneficial to Trump if he stopped saying that he, like the Khans, has also “sacrificed” for his country. 51 percent of those surveyed agreed with the Khans that Trump has “sacrificed nothing and no one.”
Featured Image Via Gage Skidmore for Flickr available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License
