Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who was attacked along with his wife, Ghazala, by Donald Trump after the Khans appeared onstage at the Democratic National Convention to slam Trump's call for a moratorium on Muslim immigration, said Thursday he is "disappointed" at Trump's election as president, and he will still have to earn the respect of the office.
"He's been elected president, but he has to earn our respect," Khan told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "He has to earn the position of the presidency. That needs to be seen."
Khan said demonstrations across the country protesting Trump's election are evidence of how Muslims and other groups feel intimidated and feel their rights might not be fully guaranteed.
"We appeal to the surrogates of Donald Trump and to him, himself, that he needs to take the first step to make sure that the concerns that are being addressed," Khan said, pointing to reports across the country of people in Trump campaign gear harassing and attacking Muslims.
At least one of those attacks, a Muslim woman in Louisiana who said two men attacked her and pulled off her hijab, has since told police she made up the story, but there are similar reports in other parts of the country.
"Mosques are being attacked by people throwing things, and that needs to stop," Khan said. "These protesters, they are protesting because of the fear, because of the concern, because of the intimidation."
Trump's supporters need to be told now the election is over, Khan added, "his supporters need to back off. His supporters need to understand that if they had won the election, this intimidation, this harassment of people of faith needs to stop."
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