President Obama took a veiled swipe at Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday, touting the sacrifice Gold Star families have made to America.
"No one — no one — has given more for our freedom and security than our Gold Star families," Obama said at the Disabled American Veterans' National Conference in Atlanta. "They represent the very best of our country. They continue to inspire us every day and every moment. They serve of as a powerful reminder of the true strength of America."
The comments were delivered in the midst of a controversial feud between Trump and Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, Humayun Khan, died in 2004 while serving in Iraq. Trump criticized the Khans after Khizr gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention,
Time magazine reported. Khan, a Muslim American and Harvard-educated lawyer, criticized Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Trump has drawn backlash for comments ranging from questioning why Ghazala Khan didn't speak at the convention to touting his own sacrifices, which he said have included creating jobs and launching businesses.
Among his critics, the Veterans of Foreign Wars released a statement denouncing Trump's comments.
"Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," said VFW’s Brian Duffy. "Giving one’s life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard."
Without naming Trump or referencing his comments directly, Obama said, "We have to do everything we can for those families. And honor them. And be humbled by them,"
CNN noted.
While noting that Obama didn't mention Trump,
Politico said his comments "suggested he is fed up with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rhetoric bashing the nation’s military and Gold Star families."
"As commander in chief, I’m pretty tired of some folks trash-talking America’s military and troops," Obama said Monday, according to Politico. "Our military is somewhat smaller after two major ground wars [have] come to a close. That’s natural. And we’re going to keep doing everything we need to do improve readiness and modernize our forces."
"But let’s get some facts straight. We have the most capable fighting force in history, and we’re going to keep it that way. And no ally or adversary should ever doubt our strength and our resolve."
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