Gold Star father Khizr Khan announced his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris over the weekend. Khan is the father of a slain Muslim Army Captain Humayun Khan who was killed by a car bomb while serving in Iraq in 2004.
Khan, however, has spoken out against former President Donald Trump in the past. In his book, he even suggested that the Trump family has “no idea what service and sacrifice is.” Khan and his wife Ghazala appeared at the 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC).
“He wants to build walls and ban us from this country,” Khan said in 2016, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Donald Trump, you’re asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?” The crowd, nearly silent as Khan began his remarks, began to cheer as he pulled a pocket-size copy of the document from his suit. “I will gladly lend you my copy.”
Morgan Finkelstein, a Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson, said Khan knows firsthand the “cost of protecting our democracy and our way of life.”
“When Donald Trump calls fallen heroes ‘suckers’ and ‘losers,’ he’s disrespecting families like the Khans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the security of our nation,” Finkelstein said. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will always stand with America’s military families and honor their loved ones’ service and sacrifice. They are grateful for Mr. Khan’s support and will always respect service members, veterans, their families, and fallen heroes like Captain Khan.”
A group of Gold Star Families, however, spoke at the Republican National Convention this year. Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, spoke about the attacks on Kabul in 2021 and how they affected her family.
“While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster with us,” Shamblin said. “He allowed us to grieve. He allowed us to remember our heroes.”
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
Donald Trump addresses the Economic Club of New York on September 5, 2024, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
